The Association of Pain with Depression and Quality of Sleep in Indonesian Cancer Patients

Abstract

Pain symptoms could affect the quality of life of cancer patients. Quality of sleep and depression were two considerable parameters associated with quality of life. Cancer patients with pain as symptoms would have a higher probability of experiencing depression, which might affect sleep quality. This was an observational research with a cross-sectional study conducted in Haji Adam Malik General Public Hospital from April-September 2021. The severity of depression and quality of sleep was measured with Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. There was a significant relationship between pain and depression based on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) with p < 0.05. A significant relationship was also seen between pain and the ability to perform activities (symptom-related difficulty) based on the VAS and NRS scale with p < 0.05. However, no significant relationship was found between pain and quality of sleep of the patients in VAS and NRS scales. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in pain scale between VAS and NRS. Pain symptom was one of the factors associated with depression and the ability to perform activities in cancer patients. A more comprehensive interview is required to assess the possible causes of poor sleep quality experienced in most cancer patients.