Problems sleeping with prostate cancer: exploring possible risk factors for sleep disturbance in a population-based sample of survivors

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sleeping problems in prostate cancer survivors and to explore the role of predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors in this process. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 3348 prostate cancer survivors between 2 and 18 years post diagnosis reported experiences of insomnia using the QLQC30, along with their sociodemographic characteristics, health status and treatment(s) received. The EQ5D-5L and QLQPR25 assessed survivors’ overall and prostate cancer–specific health-related quality of life. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was constructed with three blocks: (1) predisposing (e.g. demographics at diagnosis), (2) precipitating (e.g. disease extent, treatment) and (3) perpetuating factors (e.g. side effects). Results: Nineteen percent of survivors reported significant problems sleeping. The final model accounted for 31% of the variance in insomnia scores (p