Sleep quality in advanced cancer patients

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the sleep quality of advanced cancer patients and its relationship with pain, depression, and hopelessness. METHODS: The 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. RESULTS: Multiple 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). CONCLUSION: Hopelessness, pain treatment, and "interference of pain with mood" may influence the quality of sleep in advanced stages of cancer.