Predictors of bed bug-related stress in people who have experienced a recent infestation. Results from a cross-sectional survey in the city of Lyon, France

BACKGROUND

The number of bed bug infestations has risen dramatically in the past decades. Infestations are responsible for mental health issues such as lower quality of life, insomnia and symptoms that may resemble those of post-traumatic stress disorders. Here, we sought to investigate whether bed bug-related stress may be predicted by a range of sociodemographic, clinical and infestation-related characteristics. We collected data using a paper and online survey of 305 adults who had experienced a bed bug infestation.

RESULTS

From the 167 individuals dealing with a recent (<1 year) bed bug infestation, about two-thirds were deemed to have a high level of bed bug-related stress. The cross-validated performance of a naive Bayes algorithm in predicting bed bug-related stress was good, with an area under the receiving operating characteristics curve (AUROC) of 0.80. We calculated SHAP values to determine the explanatory power of predictors. Factors associated with bed bug-related stress were young age, female sex, childlessness, being single, social isolation, severity of infestation and treatment by insecticides (especially when health issues had not been taken into account). We also found that the likelihood of bed bug-related stress based on the severity of the infestation decreased when participants felt they were socially supported.

CONCLUSION

Although social isolation and inappropriate use of pesticides are two common behaviors, our results emphasize the importance of social support and the safest use of pesticides to mitigate bed bug-related stress. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.