Perceptions of Insomnia among an Iranian Population: Causes and Responses

Abstract

Background and Objective: People’s perceptions toward insomnia are influenced by the socio-cultural context of their lives. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate beliefs, attitudes, and practices of the participants about causes of insomnia and its management. Materials and Methods: Nineteen participants with a self-reported history of insomnia from the community were recruited in this study. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted. The interviews were recorded and tran-scribed verbatim. The transcriptions were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were identified: underlying causes of insomnia, help-seeking barriers, my coping strategies, and good food - bad drugs. Participant’s reactions to insomnia depended on their broader socio-cultural beliefs. Conclusion: Studying these perceptions and responses in our sample would contribute to better understanding of patients’ therapeutic preferences. It would also help to identify effective socio-cultural beliefs on insomnia self-management methods. Identification of these beliefs and practices also can contribute to adaptation of common insom-nia treatments.

Keywords

• Insomnia
• Beliefs
• Qualitative research