Factors Affecting Sleep Problems Among Young People During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Report from Western Iran

Background: Sleep disorders are a public health problem, and sleep studies among ethnic groups are few. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate sleep quality and sleep problems among Iranian people. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 4748 young people aged 18 to 35 (average: 27.58 years) in western Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, 60.4% of the participants were men. The data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Demographic Information Questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS software version 22. Results: About 44.4% of the participants had unfavorable sleep quality and had sleep problems. Besides, the mean score of sleep problems (measured with PSQI) reported by the participants was 5.68±2.67. The logistic regression analysis showed that the participant’s age, education, marital status, occupation, drug abuse, alcohol consumption, use of mobile phones and the internet, and a history of previous sleep problems accounted for sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Based on the results, there was a high prevalence of sleep problems among Iranian young people during the COVID-19 pandemic.