Sleep quality in advanced cancer patients

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the sleep quality of advanced cancer patients and its relationship with pain, depression, and hopelessness.MethodsThe participants were 102 advanced cancer patients who were on palliative treatment. Patients completed a sleep quality instrument, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); a pain assessment tool, the Greek Brief Pain Inventory; a self-report measure of depression, the Beck Depression Inventory; and, finally, the Beck Hopelessness Scale.ResultsMultiple regression analyses (forward method) have shown that hopelessness (P=.003), “interference of pain with mood” (P<.0005), and strong opioids (P=.010) seemed to influence patients' sleep quality (PSOI). In an additional regression analysis (enter method), the PSQI is significantly related to opioids (P=.013), hopelessness (P=.035), and “interference of pain with mood” (P=.004).ConclusionHopelessness, pain treatment, and “interference of pain with mood” may influence the quality of sleep in advanced stages of cancer.