SLEEP ASSESSMENT AND PERCEIVED STRESS AMONGST MEDICAL POSTGRADUATE RESIDENTS

Abstract

Background: Medical graduates who enter into residency programmes form the backbone of the healthcare delivery system of the country. They are often expected to work for long hours which leads to sleep deprivation and increase in the perceived stress levels. Chronic sleep deprivation leads to destruction of sleep architecture. It may also compromise patient care. We examine the relationship between these two variables through this study. Material and methods: 50 resident doctors from different specialties of medicine were administered three validated questionnaires: the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Cohen’s perceived stress scale (PSS-10) to assess the daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and perceived stress levels respectively. Result: A total of 56% residents reported greater than average scores on the ESS (Mean score=11.02 + 5.5161, Range= 1-24). On the PSQI, 78% residents reported poor sleep quality (Mean score=6.98 + 3.146, range= 0-15) whereas on the PSS-10, 84% of the residents reported moderate to high levels of perceived stress (Mean score=19.16+7.138, range=3-37). Significant correlation was found between ESS and CPSS (Pearson coefficient=0.4738, p<0.01) as well as PSQI and CPSS (Pearson coefficient=0.3024, p<0.05). It is hypothesised that there is a causal relationship between daytime sleepiness perceived stress levels as well as sleep quality and perceived stress levels. KEYWORDS: Sleep deprivation, Perceived stress, Stress levels, Epworth Sleepiness scale, sleep quality.