Sleep Quality and Anxiety Among Nursing Students at the National Autonomous University of Altoandina de Tarma, 2025

Abstract

Sleep quality is key to mental health; its deterioration in nursing students, who are exposed to high academic demands and clinical practices, increases vulnerability to disorders such as anxiety. The objective was to determine the relationship between sleep quality and anxiety in nursing students at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma Altoandina de Tarma. This research study was a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational study. The sample consisted of 135 students (from a population of 207), selected through stratified probabilistic sampling. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale were administered. Data analysis was performed using the Spearman Rho coefficient. A statistically significant and low positive relationship was found between sleep quality and anxiety (Rho = 0.289; p = 0.001), which was also directly linked to the affective and somatic dimensions of anxiety. When discussing the findings, they align with international literature (Shi et al., 2025), health sciences studies (Martínez Robleto et al., 2021), and national research (Roque et al., 2024; Canessa & Rivas, 2024), reflecting how academic and clinical overload impacts rest and well-being in health-related fields. Although the cross-sectional design prevents establishing causality, the results confirm that poor sleep quality is associated with higher anxiety, highlighting the need to promote healthy sleep habits in the university environment.