The Effect of Sleep Quality and Mental Health on Academic Performance Among the Medical Students of King Abdulaziz University

Background: Sleep quality has an important role in brain functioning and development. Affected sleep quality and mental health can negatively affect the academic performance of college students. Objective: To assess the effect of sleep quality and mental health on the academic performance of medical students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among medical students at King Abdulaziz University. The dependent variable was the current grade point average (GPA). For the independent variables, two validated tools were used in the study: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep assessment; and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) for mental health assessment. Results: A total of 382 responses were analyzed. The majority of students (86.6%) had GPAs greater than 3.75/5, while only 1% of the sample had a GPA lower than 2.75/5. The PSQI showed a median and interquartile range of (9, 6-11). Normal DASS-21 represented the majority as follows: depression at 67%, anxiety at 63.1%, and stress at 82.2%. In the statistical analyses, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress were not statistically significant with the student’s GPA. Conclusion: Low levels of sleep quality were found among medical students in our study. While sleep quality and mental health status did not show an effect on the GPA of the medical students, lower sleep quality was significantly correlated with increased scores of depression, anxiety, and stress. Our findings mandate interventions directed at improving sleep quality among medical students.