Prevalence and risk factors of insomnia in solid tumor patients in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Though cancer-related insomnia is a grave issue, it is often overlooked by caregivers and patients alike. This study examined insomnia's prevalence in solid tumor patients and the risk factors associated with it. Methods: The prevalence of insomnia and overall sleep quality were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) aided in measuring anxiety and depression, while the Wong-Baker FACES® Pain Rating Scale was employed to measure pain. Analysis was carried out using SPSS 21.0 version software. Result: The prevalence of insomnia over two months in a group of solid tumor patients comprising 56 (34.1%) males and 108 (65.9%) females with a mean age of 57.72 ± 12.78 years was found to be 65.9%, and the group's mean PSQI score was 9.12 ± 5.38. The mean anxiety, depression, and pain scores were 7.60 ± 4.09, 7.50 ± 4.07, and 2.51 ± 2.78, respectively. We found a significant influence of anxiety, depression, and pain on insomnia (P < 0.001 for all three parameters). Conclusion: More than 50% of the patients were poor sleepers, and there were significant positive associations of anxiety, depression, and pain (P < 0.001) with insomnia.

Keywords

• Anxiety
• Cancer pain
• Cancer-related insomnia
• Chemotherapy
• Depression