Relationship between the quality of sleep and psychiatric morbidity among the patients of head and neck tumours

Abstract

Objective: To assess the difference between mean sleep (PSQI) scores in the patients with head and neck tumours with and without the psychiatric morbidity; and assess the associated socio-demographic factors. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, from May to November 2017. Methodology: One hundred and seventy patients suffering from the tumours of head and neck region were analysed in this study, which were treated in the E.N.T Department. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to record the sleep quality of the study participants. General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) was used to look for the presence of psychiatric morbidity among these patients. Mean sleep scores were compared in the patients with and without the presence of psychiatric morbidity. Relationship of the socio-demographic factors was also studied with the presence of poor sleep quality among the study participants. Results: A total of 170 patients filled the PSQI; out of them, 58 (34.1%) had scores lying within the range of normal sleep quality while 112 (65.9%) had insufficient quality of sleep. One hundred and eight (63.5%) patients had significant psychiatric morbidity; whereas, 62 (36.5%) had no psychiatric morbidity on GHQ-12. Mean PSQI score in patients without psychiatric morbidity was (6.2 ±3.2) while in the patients with psychiatric morbidity was 9.4 ±4.6 (p <0.001). Conclusion: Patients suffering from head and neck tumours showed high frequency of both poor sleep quality and psychiatric morbidity. Patients with presence of psychiatric morbidity or who had undergone surgical resection of tumour should be routinely screened for the sleep problems.