Background: Medical students often experience elevated stress levels and disrupted sleep patterns, increasing the risk of developing Night Eating Syndrome (NES). Depression is prevalent among medical students, further emphasizing the need for investigation. This study aims to explore the occurrence of NES and its associated factors, primarily focusing on depression, among medical students at a university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study involving medical students, participants completed a self-administered questionnaire covering sociodemographic details, the Night Eating Syndrome Questionnaire (NEQ) with 14 items, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) for depression screening.
Results: The study involved 300 medical students, reflecting a diverse sample with an average age of 21.4 ± 1.9 years and a well-balanced distribution across academic years. Notably, 41 participants (13.7%) were identified as obese. Depression, as determined by PHQ-2 scores exceeding 3, was prevalent in 159 students (53.0%). A multivariable logistic regression analysis uncovered a significant independent association, revealing that being a second-year medical student was linked to depressive health conditions (odds ratio [OR]: 3.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24– 10.10, p = 0.02). Exploring NES, 22 students (7.3%) scored above the NEQ threshold of 25, indicating its presence. Intriguingly, multivariable logistic regression illustrated that the sole independent factor associated with NES was the presence of depression (OR: 4.4, CI: 1.4– 13.2, p = 0.01).
Conclusion: The overall prevalence of NES was 7.3%, and it was found to be associated with depression in medical students. Additionally, being a second-year medical student was independently associated with depression. These findings underscore the importance of addressing mental health issues, including NES and depression, in medical students, particularly during the early stages of their training.



中文翻译：

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沙特阿拉伯医学生夜食综合症的患病率及其关联

背景：医学生经常会经历压力水平升高和睡眠模式紊乱，从而增加患夜食综合症（NES）的风险。抑郁症在医学生中普遍存在，进一步强调了调查的必要性。本研究旨在探讨沙特阿拉伯吉达一所大学医学生中 NES 的发生及其相关因素，主要关注抑郁症。
方法：在这项涉及医学生的横断面研究中，参与者完成了一份涵盖社会人口统计细节的自填问卷、包含 14 个项目的夜食综合症问卷 (NEQ) 以及用于抑郁症筛查的患者健康问卷 2 (PHQ-2) 。
结果：该研究涉及 300 名医学生，样本多样化，平均年龄为 21.4 ± 1.9 岁，各学年分布均衡。值得注意的是，41 名参与者 (13.7%) 被确定为肥胖。根据 PHQ-2 分数超过 3 确定的抑郁症在 159 名学生 (53.0%) 中普遍存在。多变量逻辑回归分析发现了显着的独立关联，表明作为一名二年级医学生与抑郁健康状况相关（比值比 [OR]：3.53，95% 置信区间 [CI]：1.24–10.10，p = 0.02 ）。在探索 NES 时，22 名学生 (7.3%) 的得分高于 NEQ 阈值 25，表明其存在。有趣的是，多变量逻辑回归表明，与 NES 相关的唯一独立因素是抑郁症的存在（OR：4.4，CI：1.4–13.2，p = 0.01）。
结论： NES 总体患病率为 7.3%，且与医学生抑郁症相关。此外，作为一名二年级医学生与抑郁症独立相关。这些发现强调了解决医学生心理健康问题（包括 NES 和抑郁症）的重要性，特别是在他们培训的早期阶段。