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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1806953
Original Article

Predictors and Factors Associated with Insomnia in a Brazilian Sample: A Cross-Sectional Study

Isabela Mayumi Nishino Aizawa
1   Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
,
Felipe Alckmin-Carvalho 
2   Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
,
Helder Sergio Lira Soares Filho
1   Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
,
Rosa Hasan
3   Ambulatório do Sono, Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
,
Andrea Cecilia Toscanini
3   Ambulatório do Sono, Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
,
Renatha El Rafihi-Ferreira
1   Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
4   Department of Clinical Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
› Author Affiliations Funding Source Isabela Mayumi Nishino Aizawa and Renatha El Rafihi-Ferreira received research support from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP under grant numbers 23/03073-0 and 2018/19506-5, respectively].
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Abstract

Objective

Chronic insomnia is associated with various functional and mental health impairments. The present study aimed to evaluate variables potentially associated with insomnia in a Brazilian sample.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted in a psychiatric hospital of a public medical school in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The sample included 1,435 adults with a mean age of 38.3 years. Participants were divided into two groups: one with individuals diagnosed with insomnia (according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition and the Insomnia Severity Index) and a comparison group without the diagnosis. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess psychopathological variables (anxiety and depression) and sociodemographic and anthropometric questionnaires to provide further characterization of the sample. Multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results

Male sex and lacking a university degree were associated with increased odds of insomnia, with average increases of 1.93 and 1.89, respectively. Each additional year of age and each additional point on the depression and anxiety increased the likelihood of insomnia by averages of 1.05, 1.18, and 1.40, respectively.

Conclusion

This study provides evidence of associations between biopsychosocial factors and insomnia, suggesting the potential for developing preventive and treatment protocols for this condition.

Keywords

insomnia - mental health - psychopathology - sleep deprivation - patient health questionnaire anxiety and depression scale


Publication History

Received: 09 April 2024

Accepted: 17 February 2025

Article published online:
22 April 2025

© 2025. Brazilian Sleep Academy. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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