1.Sleep quality and psychosocial correlates among elderly attendees of an urban primary care centre in Malaysia
Rosdinom Razali ; Julianita Ariffin ; Aznida Firzah Abdul Aziz ; Sharifah Ezat Wan Puteh ; Suzaily Wahab ; Tuti Iryani Mohd Daud
Neurology Asia 2016;21(3):265-273
Sleep quality can vary in relation to one’s general well-being and in the elderly, it is often affected
by the presence of medical or psychological conditions. This study aims to determine the frequency
of different components of sleep quality in the elderly, and their relationships with psychosocial
and medical attributes. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 123 attendees aged 60 years and
above at Pusat Perubatan Primer Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Sleep quality and psychological
distress were assessed using the validated Malay versions of Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and
Hamilton anxiety depression scale (HADS) respectively. Information on medical comorbidities and
medications were obtained from the participants, their doctors and medical notes. Almost half of the
patients experienced poor sleep quality (47.2%) which was significantly associated with older mean age
(69.5 ±4.55). There was no statistical significance between sleep quality and other sociodemographic
characteristics (gender, ethnicity and living arrangement). Most patients described their sleep quality
as subjectively generally “fairly good” (69.1%) despite PSQI scores indicating poor sleep quality. A
majority of the patients (59.3%) were on follow-up for 3 or more medical illnesses, with heart disease
as the only medical comorbidity significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Most of them also
complained of only “mild difficulty” with their sleep. Among the 7 sleep components of PSQI, “sleep
disturbance” was the most frequent experience. Most experienced mild sleep disturbance (87.8%)
and usage of hypnotic agents was low (6.5%). Only 23.6% of patients had significant psychological
distress (HADS scores ≥ 8), with positive correlation with sleep quality.
Sleep
;
Polysomnography