Prevalence of insomnia and its associated factors in elderly long-term care residents.
Insomnia is a significant problem that may jeopardize elderly residents' quality of life in long-term care settings. However, there are only a few studies dealing with sleeping disturbances among nursing home residents. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of insomnia and its associated factors in nursing home residents. A cross-sectional study (n=2332) was conducted among seniors living in long-term care facilities. The findings indicate that 144 (6.2%) participants had an insomnia disorder according to DSM-IV criteria, 17% displayed at least one symptom of insomnia, and more that half of the subjects were benzodiazepine users. According to multivariate analysis, psychological distress (adjusted odds ratio=1.51) and disruptive behaviors (adjusted odds ratio=2.10) were the only factors associated with an insomnia disorder among this population. In conclusion, insomnia is a fairly important problem, as a symptom or a syndrome, among elderly people and deserves attention from caregivers. Alternative interventions to benzodiazepine drugs, which are suited to long-term care residents while tailored to these specific care settings, should be developed.
Voyer
Philippe
P
Faculty of Nursing, Laval University, Quebec City, Que., Canada. philippe.voyer@fsi.ulaval.ca
Verreault
René
R
Mengue
Pamphile Nkogho
PN
Morin
Charles M
CM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D015995:Prevalence; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*