Effect of COVID-19 Quarantine on the Sleep Quality and the Depressive Symptom Levels of University Students in Jordan During the Spring of 2020

Heba Saadeh; Maha Saadeh; Wesam Almobaideen; Assem Al Refaei; Nour Shewaikani; Reem Qadan Al Fayez; Hamzah Khawaldah; Sobuh Abu-Shanab; Maysa Al-Hussaini

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.605676

Effect of COVID-19 Quarantine on the Sleep Quality and the Depressive Symptom Levels of University Students in Jordan During the Spring of 2020

Front Psychiatry. 2021 Feb 16:12:605676. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.605676. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Heba Saadeh¹, Maha Saadeh², Wesam Almobaideen^{1

3}, Assem Al Refaei⁴, Nour Shewaikani⁴, Reem Qadan Al Fayez⁵, Hamzah Khawaldah⁶, Sobuh Abu-Shanab⁷, Maysa Al-Hussaini^{8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Computer Science Department, King Abdullah II School of Information Technology Faculty, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
² Computer Engineering and Informatics, Middlesex University Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
³ Electrical Engineering and Computing Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
⁴ School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
⁵ Computer Information System Department, King Abdullah II School of Information Technology Faculty, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
⁶ Geography Department, School of Arts, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
⁷ Psychosocial Program, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan.
⁸ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan.
⁹ Human Research Protection Program Office, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan.

Abstract

Objectives: This study was designed to assess the effect of COVID-19 home quarantine and its lifestyle challenges on the sleep quality and mental health of a large sample of undergraduate University students in Jordan. It is the first study applied to the Jordanian population. The aim was to investigate how quarantine for several weeks changed the students' habits and affected their mental health. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a random representative sample of 6,157 undergraduate students (mean age 19.79 ± 1.67 years, males 28.7%) from the University of Jordan through voluntarily filling an online questionnaire. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) were used to assess sleep quality and depressive symptoms, respectively. Results: The PSQI mean score for the study participants was 8.1 ± 3.6. The sleep quality of three-quarters of the participants was negatively affected by the extended quarantine. Nearly half of the participants reported poor sleep quality. The prevalence of poor sleep quality among participants was 76% (males: 71.5% and females: 77.8%). Similarly, the prevalence of the depressive symptoms was 71% (34% for moderate and 37% for high depressive symptoms), with females showing higher prevalence than males. The overall mean CES-D score for the group with low depressive symptoms is 9.3, for the moderate group is 19.8, while it is 34.3 for the high depressive symptoms group. More than half of the students (62.5%) reported that the quarantine had a negative effect on their mental health. Finally, females, smokers, and students with decreased income levels during the extended quarantine were the common exposures that are significantly associated with a higher risk of developing sleep disturbances and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Mass and extended quarantine succeeded in controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus; however, it comes with a high cost of potential psychological impacts. Most of the students reported that they suffer from sleeping disorders and had a degree of depressive symptoms. Officials should provide psychological support and clear guidance to help the general public to reduce these potential effects and overcome the quarantine period with minimum negative impacts.

Keywords: CES-D; COVID-19 quarantine; PSQI; University students; mental health.