Depressive symptoms, sleep problems and quality of life in health professionals and health system users: a cross-sectional study

Objective: To determine whether significant differences exist in presenting depressive symptoms, sleep problems, and quality of life between healthcare workers and healthcare users in Peru. Methods: Our study is cross-sectional. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine differences between groups, and an exploratory network analysis model was applied. Results: Our study included 340 participants, of whom 56% were healthcare workers. Healthcare workers reported lower scores for depressive symptoms (coefficient: -1.13, p < 0.001) and higher scores for quality of life (coefficient: 0.22, p < 0.001) compared to healthcare system users. However, healthcare workers exhibited higher scores for sleep problems than healthcare system users (coefficient: 11.88, p < 0.001). Our analysis revealed differences in the correlation between certain items related to depressive symptoms and sleep problems in healthcare system users and healthcare workers. Conclusions: This study revealed a high prevalence of sleep problems and lower quality of life among healthcare workers compared to the general population. While depressive symptoms were present in both groups, sleep problems showed a significant difference. Our study demonstrates that healthcare workers exhibit a more interconnected network of depressive symptoms, sleep problems, and quality of life, suggesting that these issues tend to manifest together and more intensely.