Sleep Hygiene and Depression Severity in Adults with Major Depressive Disorder: Evidence from Mysuru District, India

Sleep disturbances are a common and severe symptom of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and are associated with greater disease severity and poorer treatment outcomes. The study aimed to assess sleep hygiene and its association with depression severity in adults with MDD in Mysuru district of Karnataka State, India. Purposive sampling was utilised to select 51 participants (25 men and 26 women) ranging in age from 18 to 60 years. Data were collected by structured interviews and self-report questionnaires, like Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSOI) and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report (QIDS-SR). SPSS v.21 was used to conduct descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, including mean, standard deviation, t-tests, and Spearman’s correlation. The results demonstrated that the majority of participants reported poor sleep quality, with men having somewhat worse sleep patterns than women, the difference was not statistically significant. There was a moderate positive association (r = 0.522, p < 0.01) between sleep quality and depression severity, indicating that poor sleep hygiene is associated with higher depressive symptoms. These results underscore the importance of integrating sleep management strategies in the clinical treatment of depression.