The impact of acute COVID-19 symptoms on insomnia: A longitudinal study among medical students
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted global mental health. Medical students, already vulnerable to high stress, experience heightened psychological distress. This study aimed to investigate the association between acute COVID-19 infection and the development of psychological sym...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2025-10-01
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| Series: | Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354625001255 |
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| author | Yue Zhu Xiaoyang Qin Yuhong Lu Yuenan Yu Rongxun Liu Rongxin Zhu Kuan-Pin Su Fei Wang |
| author_facet | Yue Zhu Xiaoyang Qin Yuhong Lu Yuenan Yu Rongxun Liu Rongxin Zhu Kuan-Pin Su Fei Wang |
| author_sort | Yue Zhu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted global mental health. Medical students, already vulnerable to high stress, experience heightened psychological distress. This study aimed to investigate the association between acute COVID-19 infection and the development of psychological symptoms in medical students, exploring the role of specific COVID-19 symptoms and lifestyle factors. Methods: A longitudinal study of 2359 medical students assessed psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, insomnia) before and after COVID-19 infection. Logistic regression models, adjusted for confounders, examined the relationship between COVID-19 status (with or without infection), and the onset of psychological symptoms. The study also explored acute COVID-19 symptoms and lifestyle factors associated with psychological symptoms in the COVID-19 infected (COVID+) group. Findings: The COVID + group exhibited significantly greater increases in depression and insomnia compared to non-infected group. COVID-19 infection was significantly associated with the onset of insomnia post-infection (OR [95 % CI] 1.83 [1.05–3.21]). Moderate to severe acute symptoms, including sleep disturbances (2.20 [1.17–4.14]), decreased attention/memory (2.47 [1.02–6.00]), and breathlessness (2.05 [1.08–3.85]), were identified as risk factors for onset of insomnia. Regular exercise was found to be negatively associated with the onset of insomnia (0.54 [0.33–0.88]). Conclusion: Early intervention targeting these acute-phase risk symptoms is crucial for preventing long-term insomnia. Regular exercise is effective in preventing the development of insomnia in medical students following COVID-19 infection. These findings will assist in formulating targeted interventions to address recurrent infections in the post-pandemic era. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c76be576d7154f65b5cd0e23ad8c424d |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2666-3546 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-c76be576d7154f65b5cd0e23ad8c424d2025-07-31T04:53:56ZengElsevierBrain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health2666-35462025-10-0148101067The impact of acute COVID-19 symptoms on insomnia: A longitudinal study among medical studentsYue Zhu0Xiaoyang Qin1Yuhong Lu2Yuenan Yu3Rongxun Liu4Rongxin Zhu5Kuan-Pin Su6Fei Wang7Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Department of Psychiatry, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, ChinaEarly Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Department of Psychiatry, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, ChinaEarly Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Department of Psychiatry, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, ChinaEarly Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Department of Psychiatry, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, ChinaSchool of Psychology of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, ChinaEarly Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, ChinaMind-Body Interface Research Center (MBI-Lab), China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; An-Nan Hospital, China Medical University, Tainan, Taiwan; Corresponding author. Mind-Body Interface Research Center (MBI-Lab), Department of Psychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Department of Psychiatry, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Corresponding author. Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China.Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted global mental health. Medical students, already vulnerable to high stress, experience heightened psychological distress. This study aimed to investigate the association between acute COVID-19 infection and the development of psychological symptoms in medical students, exploring the role of specific COVID-19 symptoms and lifestyle factors. Methods: A longitudinal study of 2359 medical students assessed psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, insomnia) before and after COVID-19 infection. Logistic regression models, adjusted for confounders, examined the relationship between COVID-19 status (with or without infection), and the onset of psychological symptoms. The study also explored acute COVID-19 symptoms and lifestyle factors associated with psychological symptoms in the COVID-19 infected (COVID+) group. Findings: The COVID + group exhibited significantly greater increases in depression and insomnia compared to non-infected group. COVID-19 infection was significantly associated with the onset of insomnia post-infection (OR [95 % CI] 1.83 [1.05–3.21]). Moderate to severe acute symptoms, including sleep disturbances (2.20 [1.17–4.14]), decreased attention/memory (2.47 [1.02–6.00]), and breathlessness (2.05 [1.08–3.85]), were identified as risk factors for onset of insomnia. Regular exercise was found to be negatively associated with the onset of insomnia (0.54 [0.33–0.88]). Conclusion: Early intervention targeting these acute-phase risk symptoms is crucial for preventing long-term insomnia. Regular exercise is effective in preventing the development of insomnia in medical students following COVID-19 infection. These findings will assist in formulating targeted interventions to address recurrent infections in the post-pandemic era.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354625001255Long-COVIDInsomniaAcute COVID-19 symptoms |
| spellingShingle | Yue Zhu Xiaoyang Qin Yuhong Lu Yuenan Yu Rongxun Liu Rongxin Zhu Kuan-Pin Su Fei Wang The impact of acute COVID-19 symptoms on insomnia: A longitudinal study among medical students Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health Long-COVID Insomnia Acute COVID-19 symptoms |
| title | The impact of acute COVID-19 symptoms on insomnia: A longitudinal study among medical students |
| title_full | The impact of acute COVID-19 symptoms on insomnia: A longitudinal study among medical students |
| title_fullStr | The impact of acute COVID-19 symptoms on insomnia: A longitudinal study among medical students |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of acute COVID-19 symptoms on insomnia: A longitudinal study among medical students |
| title_short | The impact of acute COVID-19 symptoms on insomnia: A longitudinal study among medical students |
| title_sort | impact of acute covid 19 symptoms on insomnia a longitudinal study among medical students |
| topic | Long-COVID Insomnia Acute COVID-19 symptoms |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354625001255 |
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