Changes in sleep timing and subjective sleep quality during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy and Belgium: age, gender and working status as modulating factors
Cellini, Nicola; Conte, Francesca; De Rosa, Oresteet al.
circadian rhythms; COVID-19; home confinement; sleep; working status; lockdown
Abstract :
[en] Italy and Belgium have been among the first western countries to face the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency, imposing a total lockdown over the entire national territories. These limitations have proven effective in slowing down the spread of the infection. However, the benefits obtained in public health have come with huge costs in terms of social, economic, and psychological well-being. In the current study, we aimed at investigating how the period of home confinement affected self-reported sleep characteristics in Italians and Belgians, with special regard to sleep timing and subjective quality. Using an online survey we collected data from 2272 participants, 1622 Italians (Mage=34.1±13.6 years, 1171 F), and 650 Belgian (Mage=43.0±16.8 years, 509 F). Participants reported their sleep pattern (e.g., bedtime, risetime) and perceived sleep quality during and, retrospectively, before the lockdown. During the lockdown, sleep timing was significantly delayed, time spent in bed increased, and sleep quality was markedly impaired in both Italians and Belgians. The most vulnerable individuals appeared to be women, subjects experiencing a more negative mood, and those perceiving the pandemic situation as highly stressful. However, the two samples differed in the subgroups most affected by the changes, possibly because of the different welfare systems of the two countries. In fact, in the Italian sample sleep quality and timing underwent significant modifications especially in unemployed participants, whereas in the Belgian sample this category was the one who suffered less from the restrictions. Considering that the novel coronavirus has spread across the whole globe, involving countries with different types of health and welfare systems, understanding which policy measures have the most effective protecting role on physical and mental health is of primary importance.
Research Center/Unit :
GIGA-Institute Cyclotron Research Centre, In Vivo Imaging Unit PsyNCog - Psychologie et Neuroscience Cognitives - ULiège
Disciplines :
Social work & social policy Public health, health care sciences & services Neurosciences & behavior Psychiatry
Author, co-author :
Cellini, Nicola; Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Conte, Francesca; Department of Psychology, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
De Rosa, Oreste; Department of Psychology, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
Giganti, Fiorenza; Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Firenze, Firenze, Italy
Malloggi, Serena; Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Firenze, Firenze, Italy
Reyt, Mathilde ; Université de Liège - ULiège > CRC In vivo Imaging-Sleep and chronobiology
Guillemin, Camille ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Psychologie > Neuropsychologie
Schmidt, Christina ; Université de Liège - ULiège > CRC In vivo Imaging-Sleep and chronobiology
Muto, Vincenzo ✱; Université de Liège - ULiège > CRC In vivo Imaging-Sleep and chronobiology
Ficca, Gianluca ✱; Department of Psychology, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
✱ These authors have contributed equally to this work.
Language :
English
Title :
Changes in sleep timing and subjective sleep quality during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy and Belgium: age, gender and working status as modulating factors
Publication date :
2021
Journal title :
Sleep Medicine
ISSN :
1389-9457
eISSN :
1878-5506
Publisher :
Elsevier, Netherlands
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Name of the research project :
MIUR Research program “Dipartimenti di Eccellenza”; European Research Council starting grant (ERC-StG 757763)
Funders :
ERC - European Research Council F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique MIUR - Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Universit� e della Ricerca
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