Relationship between traits and sleep quality of hospitalized elderly patients and sleep quality of family caregivers

Abstract

Abstract Aim To understand whether the sleep quality of the caregivers of elderly inpatients is associated with their own characteristics and with the characteristics or sleep quality of the elderly inpatients. Design A cross‐sectional study design that recruited participants from September to December 2020 was adopted, in which 106 pairs of elderly inpatients and caregivers were recruited. Methods Data collected from the elderly inpatients included demographic characteristics as well as the numerical rating scale (NRS) score, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS‐SF) score, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Caregiver data included demographic characteristics and PSQI. Results In the regression analysis of caregiver characteristics and caregiver sleep quality, only caregiver age and the relationship between caregiver and inpatient (other vs. spouse) were correlated with caregiver sleep quality. In the regression analysis of elderly inpatient characteristics, caregiver characteristics, and caregiver sleep quality, only the PSQI of elderly inpatients and the relationship between caregiver and inpatient (other vs. spouse) were correlated with caregiver sleep quality. Patient or Public Contribution Poor caregiver sleep quality was more likely to manifest when the elderly inpatients had poor sleep quality, when the caregivers themselves were older, and when the caregiver was the inpatient's spouse.

Keywords

• elderly inpatient
• family caregiver
• sleep quality