Prevalence of Worry-Induced Sleep Disturbance and Associated Factors among a National Sample of In-School Adolescents in Lebanon

Abstract

Persistent worry can cause significant distress among adolescents. The goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of worry-induced sleep disturbance (WISD) among adolescent school children in Lebanon. Cross-sectional, nationally representative data were analysed from 5849 adolescents (15 years median age) that took part in the “2017 Lebanon Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS)”. The results indicate that the prevalence of WISD was 14.7%, 9.6% among males and 17.2% among females. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, loneliness, older age, female sex, having no close friends, infrequent bullying victimization, parents disrespected privacy, current tobacco use, ever cannabis use, high leisure-time sedentary behaviour and having sustained multiple serious injuries (past year) were associated with WISD. In addition, in unadjusted analysis, mostly or always feeling hungry (or low economic status), school truancy, having been physically attacked, frequently being in physical fights (past year), low peer support, parental emotional neglect, parents never checking homework, ever drunk and frequent soft drink intake were positively, and infrequent fast food intake was negatively, associated with WISD. One in seven students reported WISD and several associated factors were identified, which can aid intervention strategies. Multi-level interventions are needed targeting psychosocial distress, social-environmental factors and health risk behaviours to prevent WISD in this adolescent school population.

Gender differences in social environmental factors of psychological distress among Indonesian adolescents: Findings from the 2015 Global School-based Student Health Survey

“…The association between being sedentary and psychological distress may also be explained by the inflammatory process . The result also showed that drug use was associated with anxiety-induced sleep disturbance, which is congruent with findings from past studies (Ahinkorah et al, 2021;Pengpid & Peltzer, 2020b). The use of drugs as a coping attempt for stress among adolescents might be dysfunctional and maladaptive that can trigger anxiety disorders (Ahinkorah et al, 2021;Buckner et al, 2007).…”

“…Understanding factors associated with adolescent psychological distress is important since the onset of major mental health conditions usually occurs during adolescence and the detrimental consequences of untreated adolescent mental health problems might persist and extend to adulthood (Kessler, Amminger, et al, 2007;World Health Organization, 2020). Age (Pengpid & Peltzer, 2020a), gender (Siziya & Mazaba, 2015), health-related behaviours, such as substance use (cigarette smoking, alcohol use, or drug use) (Ahinkorah et al, 2021;Pengpid & Peltzer, 2020b) and sedentary behaviour (Vancampfort, Ashdown-Franks, et al, 2019; were found to be associated with psychological distress among adolescents. In addition, according to a conceptual framework proposed by World Health Organization (2005), adolescents' social environments, including parental-, school-or friend-, and communityinduced factors can serve as either a risk or protective factor for their mental health.…”

Anxiety-Induced Sleep Disturbance and Associated Lifestyle Behaviors According to Sex in Argentine Adolescents

“…A marked sex difference was found in this cross-sectional study with respect to the prevalence of anxiety-related sleep disturbances, which was more than twice as high in girls as in boys. This finding agrees with previous studies that found that anxiety-related sleep disturbances are more prevalent among girls ( Pengpid and Peltzer, 2020 , 2022 ; Werneck et al, 2020 ). Regarding the causes of inadequate sleep in adolescents, internal biological processes have been identified, such as the normal change (delay) in circadian rhythm that occurs in relation to puberty and a development-based slowing of the “sleep drive” ( Owens and Weiss, 2017 ).…”

Food Insecurity and Sleep Disturbance Among 223,561 Adolescents: A Multi-Country Analysis of Cross-Sectional Surveys

“…Of note, FI is often used as an indicator of individuals' low socioeconomic status and insufficient nutrient intake (4,9,27). Indeed, using nationally representative cross-sectional data from GSHS, FI was found to be associated with sleep disturbance in Benin and Lebanon adolescents (28,29). Compared with the evidence from adolescents (30)(31)(32)(33)(34), there are relatively more studies on the relationship between FI and sleep disturbance in adults.…”