Qualidade do sono e sintomas psicopatológicos de universitários usuários de cigarro eletrônico

Abstract

Objective: To investigate sleep quality and assess symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression among college students who use electronic cigarettes (EC). Methodology: Analytical cross-sectional study conducted with college students who use electronic cigarettes. A sociodemographic and smoking status questionnaire, the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire (MSQ), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used. Results: A total of 83 college students were evaluated, with a greater predominance of women, 50 (60.2%) and singles, 82 (98.8%). Most participants studied physiotherapy (30 (36.1%), 17 (20.5%) reported using medication, with antidepressants being the most prevalent (8 (9.6%)); 53 (63.9%) reported consuming energy drinks, 50 (60.2%) also used other forms of tobacco, with straw cigarettes (34 (41.0%) and marijuana (24 (28.9%) being the most prevalent, 74 (89.2%) used EC with nicotine, 44 (53.0%) used the device more than 15 times a day and 42 (50.6%) reported having some respiratory symptoms. In addition, 32 (38.6%) were classified as having above moderate stress, 20 (24.1%) had extremely severe anxiety, 8 (9.6%) were categorized as having symptoms of extremely severe depression, 41 (49.4%) reported feeling drowsy and 44 participants (53.0%) evaluated their sleep quality as very altered. There was a correlation between sleep quality and symptoms of stress (r=0.52, p<0.001), anxiety (r=0.50, p<0.001), and depression (r=0.50, p<0.001). Conclusions: This study highlights a worrying frequency of changes in sleep quality and drowsiness among e-cigarette users, in addition to the prevalence of moderate and severe symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression in approximately one-third of users. It contributes to the understanding of the relationship between e-cigarette use and sleep health and highlights the need for actions that address both the physical and mental health risks associated with the use of the device