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Association between sleep problems and depressive symptoms among small-scale miners in Ghana
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Association between sleep problems and depressive symptoms among small-scale miners in Ghana

Emmanuel Nyaaba, Emma AO Sefa, Vanessa F. Epis, Lawrence Guodaar and Razak M. Gyasi
Sleep epidemiology, Vol.5, pp.1-9
12/2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleepe.2025.100112
Appears in  Recent National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine Publications
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Abstract

Ghana mental health miners occupational health sleep problems
Objective: Sleep problems (SP) are increasingly linked to poor mental health outcomes, yet limited research has explored this association among high-risk occupational groups in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigate the association between SP and depressive symptoms among small-scale miners in Ghana and explores whether emotional distress and anxiety explain this association. Methods: We recruited 664 miners (mean age = 28.8, SD = 8.2 years; males = 84.3 %) in this study. SP was assessed using the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0), while depressive symptoms were measured using the PHQ-9. Emotional distress and anxiety were assessed using the MOS SF-36 scale and the GAD-7 scale, respectively. Multiple linear regressions and bootstrapping techniques evaluated the hypothesized direct and indirect associations. Results: SP was significantly associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms (B = 0.171, p < 0.001), after adjustment. Crucially, emotional distress (53.06 %; B = 0.2447, 95 % CI [0.1739, 0.3221]), and anxiety (25.0 %; B = 0.1153, 95 % CI [0.0592, 0.1745]) partially accounted for the association between SP and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Poor sleep quality may be a clinical marker for depressive symptoms among small-scale miners, with emotional distress and anxiety as key psychological pathways. Integrated sleep-related screening and intervention strategies is needed in poor occupational health settings. Nevertheless, given the non-probability sampling approach used, some degree of selection bias cannot be ruled out, and findings should be interpreted with caution regarding their generalizability beyond the study communities.

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