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 :
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 :
CER - Conseil Européen de la Recherche [BE] F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE] MIUR - Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca [IT]
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Comunicato stampa N°19/2020. Studio ISS. Un paziente su cinque positivo al coronavirus ha tra 19 e 50 anni. March 9, 2020), 2020 Retrieved March 30, 2020 from https://www.iss.it/comunicati-stampa1.
Mazza, C., Ricci, E., Biondi, S., et al. A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Italian people during the COVID-19 pandemic: immediate psychological responses and associated factors. Int J Environ Res Publ Health, 17(9), 2020, 3165.
Vindegaard, N., Benros, M.E., COVID-19 pandemic and mental health consequences: systematic review of the current evidence. Brain Behav Immun, 2020.
World Health Organization, Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak. (No. WHO/2019-nCoV/MentalHealth/2020.1). 2020 Retrieved 27 March 2020 from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331490/WHO-2019-nCoV-MentalHealth-2020.1-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Altena, E., Baglioni, C., Espie, C.A., et al. Dealing with sleep problems during home confinement due to the COVID-19 outbreak: practical recommendations from a task force of the European CBT-I Academy. J Sleep Res, 29(4), 2020, e13052.
Brooks, S.K., Webster, R.K., Smith, L.E., et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet 395:10227 (2020), 912–920.
Voitsidis, P., Gliatas, I., Bairachtari, V., et al. Insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Greek population. Psychiatr Res, 289, 2020, 113076.
Casagrande, M., Favieri, F., Tambelli, R., et al. The enemy who sealed the world: effects quarantine due to the COVID-19 on sleep quality, anxiety, and psychological distress in the Italian population. Sleep Med, 2020.
Cellini, N., Canale, N., Mioni, G., et al. Changes in sleep pattern, sense of time and digital media use during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. J Sleep Res, 29(4), 2020, e13074.
Franceschini, C., Musetti, A., Zenesini, C., et al. Poor sleep quality and its consequences on mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Front Psychol, 11, 2020, 574475.
Huang, Y., Zhao, N., Generalized anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and sleep quality during COVID-19 outbreak in China: a web-based cross-sectional survey. Psychiatr Res, 288, 2020, 112954.
Innocenti, P., Puzella, A., Mogavero, M.P., et al. Letter to editor: CoVID-19 pandemic and sleep disorders—a web survey in Italy. Neurol Sci 41:8 (2020), 2021–2022.
Kokou-Kpolou, C.K., Megalakaki, O., Laimou, D., et al. Insomnia during COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown: prevalence, severity, and associated risk factors in France population. Psychiatr Res, 290, 2020, 113128.
Mandelkorn, U., Genzer, S., Choshen-Hillel, S., et al. Escalation of sleep disturbances amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional international study. J Clin Sleep Med JCSM, 2020, 10.5664/jcsm.8800.
Marelli, S., Castelnuovo, A., Somma, A., et al. Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on sleep quality in university students and administration staff. J Neurol, 2020, 10.1007/s00415-020-10056-6.
Salfi, F., Lauriola, M., Amicucci, G., et al. Gender-related time course of sleep disturbances and psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown: a longitudinal study on the Italian population. Neurobiol Stress, 13, 2020, 100259.
Stanton, R., To, Q., Khalesi, S., et al. Depression, anxiety and stress during COVID-19: associations with changes in physical activity, sleep, tobacco and alcohol use in Australian adults. Int J Environ Res Publ Health, 17(11), 2020, 4065.
Xiao, H., Zhang, Y., Kong, D., et al. Social capital and sleep quality in individuals who self-isolated for 14 days during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in January 2020 in China. Med Sci Mon Int Med J Exp Clin Res Int Med J Exp Clin Res, 26, 2020, e923921.
Wright, K.P., Linton, S.K., Withrow, D., et al. Sleep in university students prior to and during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Curr Biol 30:14 (2020), R797–R798.
Blume, C., Schmidt, M.H., Cajochen, C., Effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on human sleep and rest-activity rhythms. Curr Biol 30:14 (2020), 795–R797.
Di Giorgio, E., Di Riso, D., Mioni, G., et al. The interplay between mothers' and children behavioral and psychological factors during COVID-19: an Italian study. 2020, European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 10.1007/s00787-020-01631-3.
Buysse, D.J., Reynolds, C.F. III, Monk, T.H., et al. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatr Res 28:2 (1989), 193–213, 10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4.
Baayen, R.H., Davidson, D.J., Bates, D.M., Mixed-effects modeling with crossed random effects for subjects and items. J Mem Lang 59:4 (2008), 390–412.
Conte, F., Cerasuolo, M., Fusco, G., et al. Sleep continuity, stability and organization in good and bad sleepers. J Health Psychol, 2020, 10.1177/1359105320903098.
Alvaro, P.K., Roberts, R.M., Harris, J.K., A systematic review assessing bidirectionality between sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression. Sleep 36:7 (2013), 1059–1068.
Carney, C.E., Edinger, J.D., Meyer, B., et al. Daily activities and sleep quality in college students. Chronobiol Int 23:3 (2006), 623–637.
Monk, T.H., Petrie, S.R., Hayes, A.J., et al. Regularity of daily life in relation to personality, age, gender, sleep quality and circadian rhythms. J Sleep Res 3:4 (1994), 196–205.
Craig, L., Mullan, K., How mothers and fathers share childcare: a cross-national time-use comparison. Am Socio Rev 76:6 (2011), 834–861.
Brenna, E., Di Novi, C., Is caring for older parents detrimental to women's mental health? The role of the European North–South gradient. Rev Econ Househ 14:4 (2016), 745–778.
Boll, C., Lagemann, A., Gender pay gap in EU countries based on SES (2014). vol. 10, 2018, Publication Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 978935.
Marx, I., Schuerman, N., Belgium, or how inertia can have unexpected benefits in times of crisis. Challenges to European welfare systems, 2016, Springer, 37–57.
Mariña, F.S., Figari, F., Sutherland, H., et al. Welfare compensation for unemployment in the great recession. 2012.
Figari, F., Fiorio, C.V., Welfare resilience in the immediate aftermath of the covid-19 outbreak in Italy. EUROMOD at the Institute for Social and Economic Research. Tech Rep, 2020.
Jones, T., Baxter, M., Khanduja, V., A quick guide to survey research. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 95:1 (2013), 5–7.
Hipp, L., Bünning, M., Munnes, S., et al. Problems and pitfalls of retrospective survey questions in COVID-19 studies. Survey Res Methods 14 (2020), 109–114.
Chokroverty, S., The many faces and fangs of COVID-19: an editorial. Sleep Med 72 (2020), 164–166.
Ferini-Strambi, L., Zucconi, M., Casoni, F., et al. COVID-19 and sleep in medical staff: reflections, clinical evidences, and perspectives. Curr Treat Options Neurol 22:10 (2020), 1–6.
Maunder, R.G., Lancee, W.J., Balderson, K.E., et al. Long-term psychological and occupational effects of providing hospital healthcare during SARS outbreak. Emerg Infect Dis 12:12 (2006), 1924–1932.
Freeman, D., Sheaves, B., Waite, F., et al. Sleep disturbance and psychiatric disorders. Lancet Psychiatr 7:7 (2020), 628–637.
Olagoke, A.A., Olagoke, O.O., Hughes, A.M., Exposure to coronavirus news on mainstream media: the role of risk perceptions and depression. Br J Health Psychol 25:4 (2020), 865–874.
