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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2021; 14(S 01): 63-68
DOI: 10.5935/1984-0063.20200087
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Cluster analysis of insomnia symptoms during COVID-19 pandemic: a general population web-based survey in Iran

Khosro Sadeghniiat-Haghighi
1   Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Occupational Sleep Research Center, Baharloo Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran - Iran.
,
Mohammad-Mehdi Mehrabinejad
2   Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Students’ Research Committee - Tehran - Iran.
,
Arezu Najafi
1   Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Occupational Sleep Research Center, Baharloo Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran - Iran.
,
Mahya Shabani
2   Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Students’ Research Committee - Tehran - Iran.
,
Samaneh Akbarpour
1   Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Occupational Sleep Research Center, Baharloo Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran - Iran.
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ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of insomnia and its different phenotypes as well as their association with fear of COVID-19 in the general population.

Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted using an online survey (e-poll). All available participants who completed the online survey form were included in the current study. All individuals with a history of sleep problems were excluded. A questionnaire package consisted of insomnia severity index (ISI), and FCV-19 for corona fear was administered for all participants. Insomnia was defined as ISI≥8. Insomnia phenotypes were considered as: (a) DIS: difficulty initiating sleep; (b) DMS: difficulty maintaining sleep; (c) EMA: early morning awakening; and (d) combined insomnia.

Results: A total of 1,223 participants [827 (67.6%) female, mean age=39.82±10.75 years old], enrolled in the current survey. Based on ISI, 675 (55.2% [95%CI=52.40-57.98]) were categorized into the insomnia group. Insomnia was more prevalent in females (p=0.006), participants with 50 years old or higher (p=0.04), or high fear of COVID-19 (p<0.0001). Totally, 67.4%, 66.4%, and 55% of all participants had DIS, DMS, and EMA, respectively, in the current outbreak. Besides, 79% had impaired daily functioning, 51.6% had impaired quality of life, and 62% were worried about their sleep problem. Notably that a considerable percentage of individuals with normal ISI scores had at least one insomnia phenotype or impaired daily functioning and quality of life. Further analyses revealed a significant increasing trend in all four insomnia phenotypes prevalence with an increase in fear of COVID-19 (all p-values<0.0001).

Conclusion: Individuals with higher age, female gender, or higher fear of COVID-19 are at higher risk of all types of insomnia as well as impaired daytime performance or quality of life.

Keywords:

Fear - Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - Coronavirus Infections - Sleep - SARS-CoV-2

Appendix



Publication History

Received: 25 July 2020

Accepted: 03 December 2020

Article published online:
30 November 2023

© 2023. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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