COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG MEDICAL AND NON-MEDICAL STUDENTS IN WEST BENGAL: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: College students, especially in developing countries, face mounting mental health challenges and sleep disturbances due to academic, psychosocial, and lifestyle-related stressors. Comparative data between medical and non-medical students in India remain limited. Objectives: To assess and compare mental health status and sleep quality among medical and non-medical college students in West Bengal using validated tools, and to explore associations between psychological distress and sleep domains. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 255 students (114 medical, 141 non-medical) from various colleges in West Bengal, selected via snowball sampling. Mental health was assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and sleep quality was measured with the Global Sleep Assessment Questionnaire (GSAQ). Comparative and multivariate analyses were performed using Python and SPSS v26. Results: Non-medical students reported significantly higher levels of depression (15.36 ± 10.7 vs. 10.75 ± 9.37, p = 0.0003), anxiety (13.53 ± 9.09 vs. 10.98 ± 8.46, p = 0.0215), and stress (14.88 ± 8.9 vs. 12.00 ± 8.95, p = 0.0110) compared to medical students. Although overall GSAQ scores did not significantly differ (p = 0.224), the Depression/Anxiety-related sleep disturbance subdomain was significantly higher in non-medical students (1.39 vs. 1.11, p = 0.005). Multivariate regression identified depression and stress as independent predictors of poor sleep quality, and both depression and anxiety as predictors of mood-related sleep disturbances. Conclusion: Non-medical students exhibit a higher burden of psychological distress and mood-related sleep disruptions than their medical counterparts. These findings underscore the need for targeted mental health and sleep wellness interventions across academic streams.