Department of Psychiatry, Konkuk University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
PLoS One. 2022 Jul 12;17(7):e0271059. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271059. eCollection 2022.
COVID-19 has had a substantial national impact in South Korea, causing negative psychological responses including sleep-related problems. Literature indicates sleep problems among the general population have been reported to be as high as around 35.7% during the first 8 months of COVID-19. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sleep problems among the general population using relative search volume (RSV) data, and whether there are any differences by age and time periods spanning before and during the pandemic. RSV data was collected from the most commonly used search engine in South Korea, NAVER. Search terms were grouped into 4 categories: insomnia, other sleep disorders, sleeping pills, and sleeping pill side effects. Time points were divided into 4 periods, each 7 months long: 7 months before COVID-19 (T0), first confirmed COVID-19 case to 7 months after (T1), 7 to 14 months (T2), and 14 to 21 months (T3). A 2x4 factorial Analysis of Variance was conducted to investigate main effects and interactions between age and time periods. Main effects and interaction effects of age and time periods were significant for all search term groups. For all search terms, both age groups showed dramatic increase from T0 to T1. In age group 60 or above, RSV continued to increase for other sleep disorders and sleeping pill. Insomnia and sleeping pill side effects showed decreasing trend at T3. In general, sudden increase in RSV after occurrence of COVID-19 followed by slow decline were observed. However, for age group 60 or above, RSV values of other sleep disorders and sleeping pills continued to increase, suggesting slower recovery of psychological impact with increasing age. Overall, the results underscore the importance of implementing preventive measures for monitoring sleep problems during the pandemic, especially in the elderly.
新冠疫情对韩国产生了重大的全国性影响，导致出现了包括睡眠相关问题在内的负面心理反应。文献表明，在新冠疫情的头 8 个月，一般人群中报告的睡眠问题高达约 35.7%。因此，本研究旨在使用相对搜索量（RSV）数据调查新冠疫情对一般人群睡眠问题的影响，以及在疫情前后的不同时间段，年龄是否会产生差异。RSV 数据是从韩国使用最广泛的搜索引擎 NAVER 收集的。搜索词分为 4 类：失眠、其他睡眠障碍、安眠药和安眠药副作用。时间点分为 4 个时期，每个时期 7 个月：新冠疫情前 7 个月（T0）、首例新冠确诊病例至 7 个月后（T1）、7 至 14 个月（T2）以及 14 至 21 个月（T3）。采用 2x4 析因方差分析（Analysis of Variance）调查年龄和时间段之间的主效应和交互作用。所有搜索词组的年龄和时间段的主效应和交互效应均具有统计学意义。对于所有搜索词，两个年龄组均显示从 T0 到 T1 的急剧增加。在 60 岁及以上年龄组中，其他睡眠障碍和安眠药的 RSV 持续增加。失眠和安眠药副作用在 T3 呈下降趋势。总体而言，在新冠疫情发生后，RSV 呈突然增加而后缓慢下降的趋势。然而，对于 60 岁及以上年龄组，其他睡眠障碍和安眠药的 RSV 值持续增加，表明随着年龄的增长，心理影响的恢复速度较慢。总的来说，研究结果强调了在疫情期间实施监测睡眠问题的预防措施的重要性，尤其是在老年人中。
