P-27 Exploring the Relationship between Sex, Sleep Patterns, and Psychological Distress among College of Medical Science Students at the University of Guyana

Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a convenient sampling technique to recruit participants from the Col- lege of Medical Sciences. Demographic information (age, sex, residence) was collected. Participants provided consent before responding to a questionnaire, which included an assessment using a modified Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. 

Results: The study found a significant association between mental health status, and the sex of health science students (X²=11.782, df=1, p,0.001). Female students were three times more likely to experience psychological distress than males (OR: 9.2488, 95% CI: 5.2587 to 16.2665, Z statistic 7.722, P < 0.0001). The modified Warwick-Edinburgh mental health well-being scores exhibited normal distribution (W=0.993, df: 289, p=0.175). A T-test revealed a significant sex-based difference in mean scores for psychological distress (t (3.331), DF=287, P < 0.001), with a small to medium effect size (d=0.464, 95% CI: 1.1 to 4.2).

A significant association was identified between mentak well-being and sleep-patterns (X² =23.453, df = 1, P<0.001, 95% CI). Students experiencing sleep-disturbance due to worry were three times more likely to experience psychological distress (OR: 3.3, 95% CI: 2.0055 - 5.2947, Z statistic: 4.770, P < 0.0001). An independent samples T-test demonstrated a significant diferrenece in mean scores for sleep-disturbance, with a medium to large effect size (d=0.64, 95% CI: 4.9 to 2.3).

Conclusion: Findings between mental health status and the sex of health science students, highlight the importance of gender-sensitive mental-health interventions in academic settings. The results regarding sleep-patterns and psychological distress align with existing literature , offerring valauable insights into the intricate relationship between sleep and mental-health in academia.