Sleep quality: crisis and psychological therapy in university women

Abstract

During the years of confinement generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, detrimental changes in habits and lifestyle, as well as in behaviors and emotions, were evident. University women, who migrated to virtual classes, developed symptoms associated with mental health, including disturbances in sleep quality, which constitutes an essential physiological function for cognitive and physical functioning. Sleep disturbances can generate adverse consequences, coupled with the difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, this constitutes a risk for individuals. Therefore, this study seeks to identify the quality of sleep in university women. A total of 328 university women (M = 23.36, SD = 7.26), mostly single (85.4%), participated answering the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, which evaluates seven components of sleep. Day dysfunction was found to be the component that most affected women. Duration of sleep was decreased in participants who worked and studied, and participants who received psychological treatment used sleep meds more. Five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, its aftereffects remain. Women’s sleep quality was affected, both in terms of duration of sleep and day dysfunction, in addition to the burden of university studies and work. In conclusion, female self-care and evidence-based therapy, based on psychological crises, are positioned as indispensable for women’s mental health.