A cross-sectional study of the association between sleep quality and anxiety in postsecondary students in Ontario

Postsecondary students frequently report high rates of anxiety and poor sleep quality. The association between poor sleep quality and anxiety is poorly understood in this population. We conducted a cross-sectional study of students enrolled in two faculties at Ontario Tech University (OTU) - Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) and Faculty of Education (FEd), and students attending the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) during the fall of 2017 to determine the prevalence of poor sleep quality and moderate to extremely severe anxiety, as well as the association between them. Participants completed self-report questionnaires to measure sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]), anxiety (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale – 21 Items [DASS-21]), socio-demographic, lifestyle and health-related variables. Multivariable logistic regression was used to measure the association between poor sleep quality and moderate to extremely severe anxiety, as well as to control for covariates. A significant correlation between PSQI scores and DASS-21 anxiety scores was found in both populations: students who reported poor sleep quality were more likely to report moderate to extremely severe anxiety. This association decreased but still remained high even after controlling for important covariates (i.e., biological sex, stress, and depression).