The relationship between insomnia and mental disorders among medical students in México

Determining the relationship between insomnia and developing mental symptoms is the objective of this study. Its method consisted of a cross-sectional design study, in which a survey of medical students belonging to the International Federation of Medical Student Associations of Mexico (IFMSA) was conducted. The instrument was validated with Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.92. The presence of symptoms related to insomnia, sleep quality and mental disorders were evaluated. Data analysis was carried out through descriptive and inferential statistics, with a power level of p 0.05. Out of 4,576 medical students, a sample was obtained by simple randomization with a total of 401 students (42.89% men, 57.11% women) who participated in 48 medical schools. The three most prevalent symptoms found in students were: 25.19% of major depressive disorder (MDD), 18.95% of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and 13.22% of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Results showed that symptoms of GAD and social phobia (SAD) presented the highest correlation with insomnia. MDD was associated with poor sleep quality (RN = 14.78 95% CI: 1.97-111.04). Therefore, medical students run the risk of incurring on mental disorders if there are disturbances in their sleep. In that case, pedagogical interventions will be required to treat this problem.