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Background <p>Maternal mental health during pregnancy is a significant public health concern in rural China. Given the limited availability of professional psychological services in rural areas, understanding the factors that influence mental health and identifying simple, effective family support strategies are crucial. This study investigates the association between sleep duration and maternal mental health among pregnant women in rural northwest China.</p> Methods <p>This study was conducted among 1035 pregnant women from 10 counties in rural areas. Sleep duration was measured by self-reported, which was categorized as short (≤ 8&#xa0;h), medium (8–10&#xa0;h), or long (≥ 10&#xa0;h). Mental health was measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were employed to elucidate the prevalence of sleep duration issues and explored their association with mental health. Heterogeneity analyses were performed by family support and informal social support.</p> Results <p>21.06% of pregnant women reported short sleep duration, 56.72% had medium sleep duration, and 22.22% had long sleep duration. In addition, 34.40%, 38.26%, and 31.88% of participants showed moderate-severe depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Both short and long sleep durations were significantly associated with higher risks of moderate-severe stress (short: AOR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.14–2.49, <i>p</i> = 0.009; long: AOR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.05–2.13, <i>p</i> = 0.024). The associations were stronger among pregnant women without husband accompany them to prenatal check-ups or with poor relationships with their mothers-in-law. Negative attitudes toward psychological counseling and lower nutrition and health knowledge scores also reinforced these effects.</p> Conclusions <p>Both short and long sleep durations were associated with higher risks of moderate-to-severe stress among pregnant women, with stronger effects observed among those lacking family or informal social support. Helping pregnant women maintain a healthy sleep duration through household involvement represents a feasible and low-cost approach, especially in rural areas where professional psychological services are limited. Strengthening family and informal social support may therefore offer practical strategies to improve pregnant women mental health.</p>

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The association between sleep duration and mental health among pregnant women in rural northwest China

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月25日

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  • Nan Wang,
  • Jianmin Ai,
  • Chengjie Hao,
  • Yi Yuan,
  • Yiman Gu,
  • Jie Yang,
  • Jingchun Nie

摘要

Background

Maternal mental health during pregnancy is a significant public health concern in rural China. Given the limited availability of professional psychological services in rural areas, understanding the factors that influence mental health and identifying simple, effective family support strategies are crucial. This study investigates the association between sleep duration and maternal mental health among pregnant women in rural northwest China.

Methods

This study was conducted among 1035 pregnant women from 10 counties in rural areas. Sleep duration was measured by self-reported, which was categorized as short (≤ 8 h), medium (8–10 h), or long (≥ 10 h). Mental health was measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were employed to elucidate the prevalence of sleep duration issues and explored their association with mental health. Heterogeneity analyses were performed by family support and informal social support.

Results

21.06% of pregnant women reported short sleep duration, 56.72% had medium sleep duration, and 22.22% had long sleep duration. In addition, 34.40%, 38.26%, and 31.88% of participants showed moderate-severe depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Both short and long sleep durations were significantly associated with higher risks of moderate-severe stress (short: AOR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.14–2.49, p = 0.009; long: AOR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.05–2.13, p = 0.024). The associations were stronger among pregnant women without husband accompany them to prenatal check-ups or with poor relationships with their mothers-in-law. Negative attitudes toward psychological counseling and lower nutrition and health knowledge scores also reinforced these effects.

Conclusions

Both short and long sleep durations were associated with higher risks of moderate-to-severe stress among pregnant women, with stronger effects observed among those lacking family or informal social support. Helping pregnant women maintain a healthy sleep duration through household involvement represents a feasible and low-cost approach, especially in rural areas where professional psychological services are limited. Strengthening family and informal social support may therefore offer practical strategies to improve pregnant women mental health.