A Predictive Model of Sleep Quality of the Older Adults with Low Back Pain

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the direct and indirect effects of general characteristics, basic psychological needs, health promoting behaviors, and emotional status on sleep quality of the older adults with low back pain. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional correlational study in B and Y cities between August and September 2020. A total of 217 older adults participated in the study and their general characteristics (age, gender, duration of back pain, pain intensity, disability, perceived health status, risk for malnutrition), basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness), health promoting behavior (physical activity, self care), emotional status (depression, quality of life), and sleep quality were measured. Data were analyzed through descriptive analysis, independent t-test, ANOVA with Scheffe post-hoc test, hierarchical multiple regression, and path analysis using SPSS/WIN 22.0 and AMOS 22.0. Results: The mean age of the participants was 70.31±5.39 years, the pain intensity was 6.40±1.09, and the duration of back pain was 6.69±6.46 years. The significant factors influencing sleep quality were depression (β=.45, p=.001), gender (β—.22, p=.001), disability (β=.21, p=.003), perceived health status (β=-.21, p=.001), duration of back pain (β=-.20, p=.001), self care on back pain (β=-.15, p=.009), basic psychological needs (β=-.15, p=.001), and risk for malnutrition (β=.03, p=.028). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that special attention is required for older women with high levels of depression and disability due to back pain, especially those with pain duration of less than 5 years or greater than 10 years.