Disorders associated with sleep quality in Ecuadorian healthcare personnel using the PSQI
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47606/ACVEN/MV0305Keywords:
Sleep disorders, sleep quality, healthcare personnel, Pittsburgh Index, epidemiology, Ecuador, prevalence, insomniaAbstract
Objective: To determine the prevalence of sleep disorders and factors associated with sleep quality in Ecuadorian healthcare personnel using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and to analyze the most frequently altered components and their implications for health and professional performance. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study was conducted with 189 healthcare professionals from public hospitals in Guayaquil, Ecuador, aged 50 years and older who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered between July and October 2025. The validated Spanish version of the PSQI was used, assessing seven components of sleep quality. Descriptive statistics and chi square tests were applied for association analysis (significance level p < 0.05). Results: The prevalence of poor sleep quality (PSQI greater than 5) was 63.49 percent, with 35.98 percent classified as severe cases (PSQI greater than 8). The most affected components were sleep duration (86.24 percent reporting fewer than 7 hours of sleep), habitual sleep efficiency (64.55 percent with efficiency below 85 percent), and sleep latency (60.32 percent requiring more than 15 minutes to fall asleep). A significant association was found between sleep quality and daytime sleepiness (p < 0.001), with 82.35 percent of severe cases reporting somnolence compared to 34.78 percent among individuals with good sleep quality. Additionally, 77.78 percent of participants subjectively rated their sleep as "good" despite objective impairment. Conclusions: Ecuadorian healthcare personnel show a high prevalence of sleep disorders, exceeding estimates reported for the general population. The discrepancy between objective measurements and subjective perception suggests a normalization of inadequate sleep patterns, underscoring the need for systematic screening programs using validated instruments.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Raul Germán Castro-García, Margoth Yessenia Franco-Jumbo, Delia Narcisa Crespo-Antepara, Mayda Nathalie Hernández-Varela, Víctor Manuel Reyes
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