Insomnia is associated with worry, cognitive avoidance and low academic engagement in Argentinian university students during the COVID-19 social isolation

Abstract

An increment in mental health problems related to social isolation strategies was evinced in several populations, however few investigations address this problem in students. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between insomnia, worry, coping strategies, and academic engagement in subjects pursuing a university degree in Argentina during the first month of compulsory social isolation against the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-report online questionnaires were administered to 584 participants: Insomnia Severity Index, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Coping Responses Inventory, Utrecht Work Engageme nt Scale for Students. Demographic data was recorded. Statistics included bivariate and multivariate techniques. Prevalences of 45% for subthreshold insomnia, 23% for moderate insomnia, and 4% for severe insomnia were found. The severe insomnia group presented higher levels of worry and cognitive avoidance strategies. Insomnia was also associated with daytime concerns. The group without insomnia was more vigorous in their academic engagement. Being physically active was associated with lower sleep problems. Insomnia prevalence is high in socially isolated university students. Cognitive avoidance coping strategies are associated with worry, which leads to an alert state that makes sleep difficult. These findings should be taken into account by academic institutions to define their pedagogic strategies.

Lifestyle in Undergraduate Students and Demographically Matched Controls during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain

“…Thus, this sample is not representative neither from the Spanish general population nor the Spanish undergraduate students. As in other web surveys performed during the pandemic, women were overrepresented in our sample (73%) [9,11,12,49,50] as compared to the percentage of women in the university (55%) [51] and in the Spanish population (approximately 50%) [52]. In addition, only 37.5% [53] of the Spanish population has an undergraduate degree and our results must be interpreted with caution.…”

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Higher Education: Characterizing the Psychosocial Context of the Positive and Negative Affective States Using Classification and Regression Trees

“…The impact upon basic processes such as eating and sleeping habits is present in all groups, but differs by sex, as the impacts are more intense among women, as pointed out in previous studies on university students (Kalkan Ugurlu et al, 2021 ) or specifically in the case of female students when examining body dissatisfaction (Nolan et al, 2010 ). The negative effects of sleeping habits on emotional states are related to its fundamental role in recovering energy (Scotta et al, 2020 ); correspondingly, altered sleeping habits are related to changes in lifestyle, unstable economic resources, and social distance (Li et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Scotta et al ( 2020 ) proposes the creation of secure platforms that facilitate the social interaction of students as long as face-to-face attendance restrictions are in place. The UB psychological care unit provided psychological support to all members of the university community during the pandemic, addressing the effects of the confinement at a personal and relational level, in addition to problems with daily eating routines, sleeping, and work planning.…”

“…Although various universities offer this service, it is necessary to also provide it online, and to promote interpersonal proactive actions geared toward all university groups to counteract the social distance induced by the technological change caused by COVID (Tasso et al, 2021). Scotta et al (2020) proposes the creation of secure platforms that facilitate the social interaction of students as long as face-to-face attendance restrictions are in place. The UB psychological care unit provided psychological support to all members of the university community during the pandemic, addressing the effects of the confinement at a personal and relational level, in addition to problems with daily eating routines, sleeping, and work planning.…”

Triggering of postpartum depression and insomnia with cognitive impairment in Argentinian women during the pandemic COVID-19 social isolation in relation to reproductive and health factors

“…Some reports identified a 37% increase in insomnia rates in the general population, which correlated with states of depression, anxiety, and stress ( Morin and Carrier, 2020 ). In Argentina, a high prevalence of insomnia was found in university students during the early stages of social isolation, which was associated with worry, coping, and academic engagement ( Scotta et al., 2020 ).…”