Dados do Trabalho

Título

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep quality of students: a meta-analysis and meta-regression

Introdução

The isolation and social distance caused by COVID-19 pandemic mainly affected students in the performance of daily activities, since classes started to be in the online format. The sudden change in their routines, combined with the various factors involved in the situation of confinement, can impact several aspects of health, including the quality of sleep.

Objetivo

This systematic review aims to answer the following question: “What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of sleep of students?”

Métodos

An electronic search was performed in the databases EMBASE, LILACS, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and in gray literature for articles published up to January 2022. Observational studies that assessed sleep quality through validated questionnaires, comparing moments pre- and post-COVID19 pandemic, were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Assessment Checklist. The Grading of Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the certainty of scientific evidence. Estimates of interest were calculated using random effects meta-analyses and possible confounding
factors were meta-regressed.

Resultados

18 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and 13 in the quantitative synthesis. Considering the means obtained from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, an increase in the scores during the pandemic period was found [MD = -0.39; 95% CI = -0.72 - -0.07; I2 = 88.31%]. This reveals a slight worsening in the sleep quality of these individuals. Risk of bias was low in nine studies, moderate in eight studies, and high in one study. The unemployment rate of Brazil explained in detail the heterogeneity of analysis. GRADE analysis showed a very low certainty of scientific evidence.

Conclusões

The COVID-19 pandemic may have a slight negative impact on the sleep quality of high school and college students, but the evidence is still uncertain. Socioeconomic factors must be considered when evaluating this outcome.

Palavras -chave

Sleep Quality
COVID-19
Students
Sleep Hygiene