Associations between sleep and depressive symptoms : A cross-sectional study on working adults in Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

Background: Mental health disorders can be considered a public health problem and affect approximately one in ten people worldwide. It has profound negative effects on both the individual, the workplace and society. In the Swedish adult working population, diagnoses of mental health disorders is the most common reason for sick leaves among both men and women under the age of 50. Of these, depression and stress reactions are the primary diagnoses. Aim: To examine the relationship between sleep behaviour and depressive symptoms in a sample of working adults. Method: A cross-sectional design with data gathered through the use of actimetry, questionnaires and sleep diaries was employed. Analyses of correlation between sleep variables and depressive symptoms, analysis of variance to detect differences between groups and regression analyses to measure the predictive value of variables have been performed. Results: Depressive symptoms are positively associated with self-rated sleep measures. Self-rated sleepiness showed some explanatory value in predicting depressive symptoms but when adjusting for self-rated stress, sleepiness was no longer significant. Conclusion: Self-rated sleepiness only predicts depressive symptoms to a certain extent. Other factors such as self-rated stress seems to be a stronger indicator of depressive symptoms.