Work

Mental health and the knowledge and attitude towards insomnia among medical staff in China: a cross-sectional study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To assess Chinese medical staff's knowledge and attitudes towards insomnia and explore their association with mental health status. DESIGN: A multicentre cross-sectional survey conducted across hospitals in China using convenience sampling. SETTING: Multiple hospitals across different regions of China; level of care primarily secondary. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 654 medical staff enrolled from 23 hospitals between April and June 2023, with 420 (64.22%) nurses. Inclusion criteria encompassed hospital staff involved in patient care; exclusion criteria included those on leave or unwilling to participate. Data on sex and ethnicity were collected but not specified in the abstract. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes included insomnia knowledge and attitudes, assessed by a structured questionnaire. Secondary outcomes encompassed mental health status, measured via the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS)-21 (stress, anxiety and depression). The interactions between these variables were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). RESULTS: Of the participants, 392 (59.94%) reported insomnia symptoms. The median scores for insomnia knowledge and attitudes were 16.0 (range 0-24) and 27.0 (range 7-35), respectively. The median DASS-21 score was 30.0; 189 (28.90%) experienced stress, 400 (61.16%) anxiety and 302 (46.18%) depression. SEM analysis indicated that night shift work (β=-0.101, p=0.024) and job satisfaction (β=-0.258, p<0.001) had direct effects on mental health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Medical staff showed limited understanding of insomnia and a high prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression. Targeted education, optimised shift scheduling and accessible mental health support are recommended to promote staff well-being and improve care quality. Nevertheless, the findings should be interpreted with caution because of the cross-sectional design and convenience sampling method.

Source: BMJ Open

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-109402