Are sleep and life quality of family caregivers affected as much as those of hemodialysis patients?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the quality of sleep, quality of life, and anxiety and depression symptoms reported by hemodialysis (HD) patients and family caregivers of HD patients. Methods: The study included 142 pairs of HD patients and their caregivers. To assess quality of sleep, quality of life, and anxiety and depressive symptoms, the 36-item Short Form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, respectively, were used. Results: For the patients, 73.9% were poor sleepers. Low Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores were found in 89.1% and 76.3% of HD patients, respectively. For the caregivers, 88% were poor sleepers. Low PCS and MCS scores were found in 62% and 70.4% of the caregivers, respectively. Mean PSQI scores, subjective sleep quality scores, sleep latency, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medications, and daytime dysfunction scores of the caregivers were significantly higher than the scores of the HD patients (P<.001). Conclusions: Caregivers of dialysis patients experience adverse effects on their quality of sleep and quality of life. Educational, social, and psychological support interventions should be considered to improve their ability to cope. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.