Assessment of sleep knowledge among medical and dental students in a Nigerian tertiary institution: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Sleep medicine is a rapidly growing field of Medicine globally. However, studies are lacking on the knowledge of Nigerian medical and dental students on sleep and the different types of sleep disorders. Thus, we assessed the knowledge, interest and awareness of Nigerian medical and dental students about sleep medicine. We also determined the factors associated with sleep knowledge among the medical and dental students. METHODS: We conducted this cross-sectional study from June to September 2021, among medical students at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The students' knowledge of sleep was assessed with the Assessment of Sleep Knowledge in Medical Education (ASKME) survey. The participants were classified as having low or high scores based on the proportion who gave a correct answer to 60% of the questions. RESULTS: Among the 488 students who completed the questionnaire, there was a male preponderance (55%). About three-quarters of the respondents (376, 77%) had a low sleep knowledge score. Age, year of study, and awareness about sleep medicine were the predictors of sleep knowledge. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of the medical students had poor sleep knowledge scores. There is a need to incorporate teaching sleep medicine in the curriculum of medical students early in their training.

Sleep medicine in Africa: past, present, and future.

NONE: Interest in sleep and sleep disorders in Africa dates back thousands of years, influenced by various cultural and religious beliefs. However, the practice of sleep medicine as a specialty has been inadequate compared to other regions of the world. The objective of this study was to explore the current status of sleep medicine in Africa vis-à-vis education, professional societies, and facilities, and to identify challenges of the specialty in the region. A literature search of major electronic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar) was done. This revealed that there is a high prevalence of sleep disorders in Africa and a significant association with epilepsy, human African trypanosomiasis, human immunodeficiency virus, and other diseases. There are 6 sleep societies in Africa located in 4 countries. Forty-one sleep laboratories were identified located in 4 countries. The challenges hindering development of sleep medicine in Africa include lack of awareness, poor funding, lack of facilities, and inadequate training.

Sleep Hygiene Index: Psychometric Characteristics and Usefulness as a Screening Tool in a Sample of Nigerian Undergraduate Students.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to investigate the psychometric properties of the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) and determine its capacity to screen for poor sleep quality in a nonclinical sample of Nigerian university students. METHODS: A total of 348 students appropriately completed the SHI, the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). RESULTS: The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) of the SHI was .64 and its construct validity was modestly satisfactory. It had a significant negative correlation with the MEQ (r = -.170, P < .001) and positive correlations with global PSQI (r = .289, P < .001) and ESS (r = .219, P < .001) scores. Prior to the factor analysis, our sample was randomly divided into two. In one half of the sample (sample 1), exploratory factor analysis of the SHI items yielded a three-factor model. Confirmatory factor analysis on the other half (sample 2) corroborated this model with satisfactory indices of fitness (c2 = 67.805; df = 55; c2/df = 1.233; P = .115; goodness of fit index = .943; Tucker-Lewis index = .958; incremental fit index = .972; comparative fit index = .970; root mean square error of approximation = .037). A cutoff total score of 16 on the SHI had the best sensitivity (77.0%) and specificity (47.5%) to identify students who were categorized as experiencing poor sleep quality, according to the PSQI (area under the curve = 0.65, 95% confidence interval = 0.59-0.71). CONCLUSIONS: The SHI exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties as a self-rated assessment instrument in the evaluation of sleep hygiene and as a screening instrument for poor sleep quality among Nigerian undergraduate students.

Depression and Associated Factors Among Gay and Heterosexual Male University Students in Nigeria.

Homosexuality is a recognized risk factor for depression in high-income countries; however, there is little research investigating the relationship between depression and sexual orientation in developing countries, especially in Africa. In this first study to investigate psychopathology in sexual minority men in Nigeria, the prevalence rates of depression in Nigerian gay and heterosexual individuals were compared as well as the explanatory power of risk and resilience factors in both groups. Eighty-one gay and 81 heterosexual male university students were, respectively, recruited from the Obafemi Awolowo University. Both groups were assessed for depression and other clinical factors, including alcohol and other substance use, suicidal ideation, and resilience. Gay students were further assessed for sexuality-related variables, including minority stress factors such as internalized homophobia and perceived stigma. The prevalence rates of depression among gay and heterosexual students were, respectively, 16 and 4.9% (OR 3.7; 95% CI 1.15-11.82), and this increased likelihood for depression was significantly attenuated by resilience. Clinical factors correlated significantly with depression in both groups, explaining 31% of the variance in depression in gay and heterosexual students, respectively. Sexuality-related variables including internalized homophobia and perceived stigma were further associated with depression in gay students-accounting for a further 14% of the variance of depression in gay students. The findings highlight the importance of minority stress factors in understanding depression among non-heterosexual individuals in a developing country, and the need for further research to investigate the mechanisms of these relationships in such settings.

Attitudes of Primary Care Health Workers Towards Mental Health Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Osun State, Nigeria.

World Health Organization (WHO) recommends integration of mental health services into primary health services; however attitude of primary health care workers is one barrier to this. A cross sectional survey using the Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) was done. One hundred and twenty primary care workers were randomly selected from three local government areas. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyses. The results showed that most primary health care workers hold a benevolent (mean = 2.47, SD = 0.52) attitude towards the mentally ill. Workers with 10 years or more experience tend to have less authoritarian (t = 3.19, p = 0.01) and less social restrictive (t = 3.90, p = 0.01) attitudes towards the mentally ill. There were no significant differences in attitude by gender, marital status, or designation of health care workers. The study showed that primary care workers have attitudes similar to that seen in the general population.

Implications of psychosocial factors as precipitant of asthma attack among a sample of asthmatics.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between psychosocial factors and asthma. METHODS: One hundred consecutive asthmatics were screened using the 30-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30), Present state examination (PSE) and a socio-demographic schedule incorporating psychosocial variables. Chi-squared test, student "t" test and discriminant analysis were used in analysis. RESULTS: Among the asthmatics studied 36% had psychopathology. Psychosocial variables significantly associated with psychopathology include worrying, crying, fighting, anger, marital tension, and menstruation. The presence of multiple psychosocial variables was significantly associated with psychopathology. CONCLUSION: Psychosocial variables predict the presence of psychopathology.

Interictal anxiety and depression symptoms in Nigerians with epilepsy: a controlled study.

The goals of this study were to compare symptoms of anxiety and depression between patients with epilepsy and a healthy control group, and to determine the possible factors associated with clinically significant anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with epilepsy. One hundred and four adult Nigerians (52 with epilepsy and 52 matched healthy controls) were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The results obtained indicated a statistically significant difference in anxiety and depression symptoms between patients with epilepsy and controls. The association between anxiety symptoms and polytherapy was significant (P=0.008), as was the association between depression symptoms and duration of epilepsy longer than 10 years (P=0.04). Emotional problems are more common in patients with epilepsy than in the general population. Identifying and monitoring those with epilepsy of long duration and rational prescription of antiepileptic drugs are important in reducing the risk of affective problems.

Quality of life and associated factors among adults with epilepsy in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy is a common condition worldwide and has been observed to affect quality of life (QOL). Though, much has been written on this subject among western populations, little research has been done in developing countries of Africa including Nigeria. The study aims to identify factors associated with quality of life among adult epilepsy patients in this environment. METHOD: Respondents were evaluated using the 10-item Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-10), the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30), the modified Mini Mental State Examination (mMMSE),and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Diagnosis of epilepsy was based on clinical and electroencephalographic findings. RESULTS: The mean age of the 51 respondents was 27.7 years (SD = 9.7). Thirteen (25.5%) had an average of 2 seizure episodes in the month preceding the interview, while 37 (72.5%) have had the condition for more than 5 years. Factors that were significantly associated with overall quality of life included being female (p < 0.05), seizure frequency (p < 0.01), using more than 1 anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) (p < 0.01), GHQ-30 score (p < 0.01), high anxiety score (p < 0.001), and high depression score (p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis showed that depressive symptoms were the single most important factor explaining low QOL. Other factors were GHQ-30 score, seizure frequency, and being a woman. CONCLUSION: Controlling seizures and paying attention to the psychological needs of adult epileptics will have a positive effect on the QOL among Nigerian epileptics.