Sleepless in Med School: A Study on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in MBBS Students

An undergraduate medical curriculum and scientific responsibilities are usually heavy and demanding; such conditions may disturb the sleep of undergraduate medical students. Poor sleep has been linked with an increased risk for depression, anxiety, and stress, but few studies examine this relationship in medical trainees.  This study aims to assess the quality of sleep in undergraduate clinical college students and its relationship with despair, anxiety, and stress. In this cross-sectional study, 220 phase II MBBS students of Rohilkhand Medical College and Hospital, Bareilly, were assessed, selected by using a non-probability convenient sampling technique and surveyed online. The questionnaire included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and mental morbidity was assessed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) ^3,9. Students with known psychiatric illnesses and those on medications were excluded. Descriptive data, chi-rectangular tests, and Pearson’s correlation were applied to interpret findings. Of 220 participants, 56.8% of the respondents had PSQI ≥ 5, indicating poor sleep quality. The prevalence of moderate-to-extreme melancholy was found to be 49.1%, of anxiety 44.7%, and of stress 35.6% in this poor sleep quality subgroup.  Significant positive correlation of PSQI score with despair was found at r=0.53, p<0.001; anxiety at r=0.48, p<0.001; and stress at r=0.46, p<0.001. These findings highlight a high incidence of poor sleep quality among undergraduate medical students and its strong correlation with higher chances of depression, anxiety, and stress. The integration of structured sleep hygiene education, easily accessible mental health services, and targeted stress coping strategies may contribute to mitigating these challenges and improving psychological well-being and academic outcomes.