Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jul 16, 2024; 12(20): 4247-4255
Published online Jul 16, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i20.4247
Analysis of sleep quality, disease uncertainty, and psychological tolerance in patients undergoing chemotherapy for digestive tract malignancies
Wen-Wen Tang, Mei-Lin Han, Shu-Hua Xu, You-Xing Deng, Qiao Shen
Wen-Wen Tang, You-Xing Deng, Department of Oncology, Hefei BOE Hospital, Hefei 230011, Anhui Province, China
Mei-Lin Han, Shu-Hua Xu, Department of Nursing, Hefei BOE Hospital, Hefei 230011, Anhui Province, China
Qiao Shen, Department of Emergency, Jingxian Hospital, Xuancheng 242000, Anhui Province, China
Author contributions: Tang WW wrote the original manuscript draft, and performed the conceptualization, resource collection, supervision, and validation of the study; Han ML devised the study methodology and conducted the investigation; Xu SH and Deng YX curated the data, and conducted the software and formal Analysis; and Shen Q reviewed and edited the manuscript; all authors approved the final version of the article.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Hefei BOE Hospital Institutional Review Board.
Informed consent statement: All study participants provided informed written consent before study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Wen-Wen Tang, MBBS, Chief Nurse, Department of Oncology, Hefei BOE Hospital, Intersection of Dongfang Avenue and Wenzhong Road, Xinzhan District, Hefei 230011, Anhui Province, China. 18226171624@163.com
Received: April 3, 2024
Revised: May 1, 2024
Accepted: May 23, 2024
Published online: July 16, 2024
Processing time: 88 Days and 15.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among digestive tract malignancies, following gastric cancer. Sleep is of great significance for maintaining human health. The incidence of sleep disorders in patients with cancer is approximately twice that observed in the general population. Lack of sleep can prolong hospital stays, increase the likelihood of infection, and increase mortality rates. Therefore, studying the factors related to sleep quality is significant for improving the quality of life of patients with malignant tumors of the digestive tract.

AIM

To investigate the relationships among sleep quality, disease uncertainty, and psychological resilience in patients undergoing chemotherapy for digestive tract malignancies.

METHODS

A total of 131 patients with malignant digestive tract tumors who were treated at Hefei BOE Hospital between April 2021 and September 2022 were selected as research participants. Based on their Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, participants were divided into either the sleep disorder group (PSQI score > 7) or the normal sleep group (PSQI score ≤ 7). The clinical data—together with the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale for Adults (MUIS-A) and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) scores—were compared.

RESULTS

In this study, 78 (59.54%) patients with digestive tract malignancies developed sleep disorders after chemotherapy. Sleep disorder incidence was higher in patients with colorectal cancer than in those with gastric and esophageal cancers (P < 0.05). The total MUIS-A score and those for each item in the sleep disorder group were higher than those in the normal sleep group. The total CD-RISC score and those for each item in the sleep disorder group were lower than those in the normal sleep group (P < 0.05). The PSQI scores of patients with malignant digestive tract tumors were positively correlated with the scores for lack of disease information, disease uncertainty, and unpredictability in the MUIS-A and negatively correlated with the scores for tenacity, self-improvement, and optimism in the CD-RISC (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Patients undergoing chemotherapy for digestive tract malignancies are prone to sleep problems related to disease uncertainty and psychological resilience. Therefore, interventions can be implemented to improve their sleep quality.

Keywords: Malignant digestive tract tumor; Chemotherapy; Sleep quality; Disease uncertainty; Psychological resilience

Core Tip: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between sleep quality, disease uncertainty, and psychological resilience in patients undergoing chemotherapy for digestive tract malignancies. Overall, 78 (59.54%) of these patients developed sleep disorders after chemotherapy. Sleep disorder incidence was higher in patients with colorectal cancer than in those with gastric and esophageal cancers. These data suggest that patients undergoing chemotherapy for digestive tract malignancies are prone to sleep problems. Therefore, intervention measures should be implemented to improve their sleep quality.