Sleep quality and daytime sleepiness among college students: testing an explanatory model

Abstract

The current study aimed to test, through structural equation modeling, an explanatory model of the sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness among Brazilian college students (N = 407). They answered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), 12-item General Health Questionnaire, Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS), Academic Stress Scale (ASS), Drug Use Time Questionnaire (DUTQ), and demographic information. The bivariate correlations and multiple regressions provided subsidies for the building of an explanatory model that included psychological discomfort, academic stress and the use of caffeine as explanatory variables for predicting sleep quality, and in turn the latter together with fatigue explaining daytime sleepiness. This model showed acceptable fit. The study concludes that higher levels of academic stress, psychological distress, fatigue and caffeine use are associated with lower sleep quality rates among university students. These findings shed light on the importance of considering both individual and contextual variables to understand the sleep-wake cycle in an academic context. These variables should be considered in further studies that aim to apply and evaluate possible future intervention actions.