Quality of sleep and depression in family caregivers of patients receiving palliative care

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the depression symptoms and quality of sleep of palliative care patients’ family caregivers. Methods: A total of 120 patients were hospitalized at the palliative care center and primary caregivers were included. Depression symptoms of caregivers was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and quality of sleep with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: The mean age of 120 caregivers included in the study was 47.2±12.8 years. The mean BDI score was 10.4±7.2, and the mean PSQI score was 4.6±2.9. Significantly higher rates of depression symptoms were observed in singles than in married people (p=0.037). The healthy sleep rate of the patients whose caregiving period was 6-10 years was significantly lower (p=0.018). While 78.5% of those who received support from their families had a healthy sleep, this rate was 52.4% in those who did not receive support from their families (p=0.034). A significant difference was found between PSQI and BDI categories (p=0.004). People with moderate depressive symptoms were more likely to have poor sleep quality and long-term sleep disorders. Conclusions: Family caregivers of patients receiving palliative care are at risk for poor sleep quality and depression symptoms. We think that the evaluation of these people in terms of the presence of depression symptoms and poor sleep quality may provide early intervention to alleviate the symptoms.