Excessive daytime sleepiness in medical students of Hunan province: Prevalence, correlates, and its relationship with suicidal behaviors

Background: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is common among medical students, but may have some serious consequences. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of EDS among the medical students of Hunan Province, China. The correlation between EDS and suicidal ideation in our participants was also explored. Methods: A cross-sectional study was employed among 4882 students from three medical schools in Hunan Province. Each student completed a survey on demographic variables, daytime sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale), anxiety (Self-Rating Anxiety Scale), depression (Self-Rating Depression Scale), and suicidal behaviors. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the risk factors for EDS among all participants and suicidal behaviors among those with EDS. Results: Overall, the prevalence of EDS in this population was 24.6%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that being female, alcohol consumption, a history of physical disorder, body mass index, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation were independent correlates for EDS. Moreover, the prevalence of suicidal ideation among EDS participants was 38.6%, variables such as physical disorder history, age, anxiety, or depression were independently associated with suicidal ideation. Limitations: No causal relationships could be established as this was a cross-sectional study. Recall biases might exist due to the utilization of self-reported measurements. Moreover, participants were primarily female medical students (89%,4345/4882). Conclusion: EDS is very common among medical students. Special attention should be paid to students with EDS, especially when risks for suicidal ideation are particularly high among this population. These data are valuable for healthcare professionals in assessing the risks of suicide among participants with EDS.