Associations of Depression, Anxiety and Sleep Quality among Indian College Freshmen

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between depression, anxiety, and sleep quality among Indian college freshmen. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Government Medical College, Gondia, Maharashtra, India in the month of June 2024. A total of 150 first-year MBBS students aged 18-24 years participated. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while depression and anxiety were measured using Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to estimate 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between depression, anxiety, and sleep quality, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: After adjustment, poor sleep quality was significantly associated with higher levels of depression (p< 0.001), but not with anxiety (p= 0.08). Students with poor sleep quality had higher odds of experiencing depression but were less likely to experience anxiety compared to those with better sleep quality. No significant interactive effects were observed between sleep quality and the combination of depression and anxiety. Conclusion: The study found a significant relationship between poor sleep quality and higher levels of depression among Indian medical college freshmen, with no significant association with anxiety. These findings underscore the importance of addressing sleep quality in mental health interventions for this population. Improving sleep quality may help reduce depression rates among college students.