Prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract Background Stress is widely recognized as a significant issue among medical students worldwide. This stress can disrupt their sleep, potentially leading them to use sedative drugs. Due to the lack of data on this issue in Karachi, this study aims to examine the prevalence of sedative drug u...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mubashir Zafar, Tafazzul Hyder Zaidi, Hameed Mumtaz Durrani, Farooq Yousuf, Muhammad Nalwala, Ebad Ur Rehman, Muhammad Burhan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-06-01
Series:Discover Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00768-3
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849420506295435264
author Mubashir Zafar
Tafazzul Hyder Zaidi
Hameed Mumtaz Durrani
Farooq Yousuf
Muhammad Nalwala
Ebad Ur Rehman
Muhammad Burhan
author_facet Mubashir Zafar
Tafazzul Hyder Zaidi
Hameed Mumtaz Durrani
Farooq Yousuf
Muhammad Nalwala
Ebad Ur Rehman
Muhammad Burhan
author_sort Mubashir Zafar
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Stress is widely recognized as a significant issue among medical students worldwide. This stress can disrupt their sleep, potentially leading them to use sedative drugs. Due to the lack of data on this issue in Karachi, this study aims to examine the prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan. Method It was a cross sectional study and total of 336 medical students were enrolled in the study through stratified random sampling method; validated questionnaire was used to for data collection. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association with sedative drug used and its risk factors. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. Result This study found that 11% of students use sedative drugs. Students who live in hostels are more likely to use these drugs (19%) compared to students who commute from home (8.1%). The most common sedative drug used was benzodiazepine, accounting for about 35% of all sedative use. The researchers looked at several factors to see what might influence sedative drug use: Having a sleep disorder was the only factor significant association with sedative drug use. students with diagnosed sleep disorders were about 2.5 times more likely to use sedative drugs. Conclusion Medical students used sedative drugs and common risk factor was sleep disorder. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address stress and promote healthier coping strategies among students.
format Article
id doaj-art-59fc59f8a90d4b6fa4808b47c43ad4b8
institution Kabale University
issn 3005-0774
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Springer
record_format Article
series Discover Public Health
spelling doaj-art-59fc59f8a90d4b6fa4808b47c43ad4b82025-08-20T03:31:44ZengSpringerDiscover Public Health3005-07742025-06-012211810.1186/s12982-025-00768-3Prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, PakistanMubashir Zafar0Tafazzul Hyder Zaidi1Hameed Mumtaz Durrani2Farooq Yousuf3Muhammad Nalwala4Ebad Ur Rehman5Muhammad Burhan6Family and Community Medicine Department, College of Medicine, University of HailCommunity Medicine Department, Jinnah Sindh Medical UniversityShifa College of Medicine Community Medicine Department, Jinnah Sindh Medical UniversityCommunity Medicine Department, Jinnah Sindh Medical UniversityCommunity Medicine Department, Jinnah Sindh Medical UniversityCommunity Medicine Department, Jinnah Sindh Medical UniversityAbstract Background Stress is widely recognized as a significant issue among medical students worldwide. This stress can disrupt their sleep, potentially leading them to use sedative drugs. Due to the lack of data on this issue in Karachi, this study aims to examine the prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan. Method It was a cross sectional study and total of 336 medical students were enrolled in the study through stratified random sampling method; validated questionnaire was used to for data collection. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association with sedative drug used and its risk factors. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. Result This study found that 11% of students use sedative drugs. Students who live in hostels are more likely to use these drugs (19%) compared to students who commute from home (8.1%). The most common sedative drug used was benzodiazepine, accounting for about 35% of all sedative use. The researchers looked at several factors to see what might influence sedative drug use: Having a sleep disorder was the only factor significant association with sedative drug use. students with diagnosed sleep disorders were about 2.5 times more likely to use sedative drugs. Conclusion Medical students used sedative drugs and common risk factor was sleep disorder. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address stress and promote healthier coping strategies among students.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00768-3Sedative drugMedical studentSleep disorderSmoking
spellingShingle Mubashir Zafar
Tafazzul Hyder Zaidi
Hameed Mumtaz Durrani
Farooq Yousuf
Muhammad Nalwala
Ebad Ur Rehman
Muhammad Burhan
Prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan
Discover Public Health
Sedative drug
Medical student
Sleep disorder
Smoking
title Prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan
title_full Prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan
title_fullStr Prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan
title_short Prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan
title_sort prevalence of sedative drug use and associated risk factors among medical students in karachi pakistan
topic Sedative drug
Medical student
Sleep disorder
Smoking
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00768-3
work_keys_str_mv AT mubashirzafar prevalenceofsedativedruguseandassociatedriskfactorsamongmedicalstudentsinkarachipakistan
AT tafazzulhyderzaidi prevalenceofsedativedruguseandassociatedriskfactorsamongmedicalstudentsinkarachipakistan
AT hameedmumtazdurrani prevalenceofsedativedruguseandassociatedriskfactorsamongmedicalstudentsinkarachipakistan
AT farooqyousuf prevalenceofsedativedruguseandassociatedriskfactorsamongmedicalstudentsinkarachipakistan
AT muhammadnalwala prevalenceofsedativedruguseandassociatedriskfactorsamongmedicalstudentsinkarachipakistan
AT ebadurrehman prevalenceofsedativedruguseandassociatedriskfactorsamongmedicalstudentsinkarachipakistan
AT muhammadburhan prevalenceofsedativedruguseandassociatedriskfactorsamongmedicalstudentsinkarachipakistan