Sleep Quality Among Married and Single Working Women in Malaysia

Sleep disturbance was reported to be greater among married working women than single working women. Psychological distress and lack of sleep hygiene knowledge were also shown to impact sleep quality. Due to limited evidence of Malaysia's population, this study investigated the level of sleep quality and its associations with psychological problems and sleep hygiene awareness among married and single women in Malaysia. A total of 233 working women (n=126 single women and n=107 married women) participated in this study. A questionnaire survey was carried out using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), and Sleep Beliefs Scale (SBS). Collected data was analysed using SPSS version 26.0 program. Descriptive analysis, Mann -Whitney U test and Spearman correlation were conducted. No significant difference was found between the two groups in sleep quality (p=.368). Sleep hygiene awareness among married working women was higher compared to single working women (p=.024). The results indicated positive correlations of sleep quality with psychological problems (p=.000) and general health conditions (p=.000). However, no correlation was found between sleep quality and sleep hygiene awareness (p=.262). Sleep quality is associated with psychological and general health in working women. Married women have higher sleep hygiene awareness, however this was not related to sleep quality. Hence, early screening of mental and physical health with sleep-related disorders are recommended for a better well-being.