Exploring the relationship between insomnia and depression: a cross-sectional prospective study

This is a cross-sectional prospective study aimed to examine the association between insomnia and depression among individuals attending an outpatient psychiatric clinic. METHODS: A total of 416 participants were recruited from the psychiatric and mental health outpatient clinic using a cross-sectional design. The participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to measure sleep disturbances and depressive symptoms, respectively. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board at Ninevah University. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multivariate regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The data collected in the study was analyzed using SPSS v0.26. RESULTS: A total of 416 participants were recruited from the psychiatric and mental health outpatient clinic in Iraq through convenience sampling. The sample included 227 (54.6%) females and 189 (45.4%) males, with a mean age of 35.4 years (SD=9.8, range=18–65). Participants had a mean PSQI score of 11.6 (SD=3.7, range=2–21) and a mean BDI score of 21.8 (SD=11.1, range=0–54). Bivariate correlations showed a significant positive relationship between sleep disturbances (as measured by the PSQI) and depressive symptoms (as measured by the BDI) (r=0.67, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The study provides valuable insights into the relationship between insomnia and depression in a sample of individuals from Iraq. These findings could contribute to the development of interventions to improve mental health outcomes among this population.