Investigating the Relationship between Sleep Quality and Mental Health in Chemical Veterans in Comparison with Their Spouses and a Control Group ()
ABSTRACT
Aim: This study was aimed to
determine the relationship between sleep quality and mental health of veterans
in comparison with that of their spouses and a control group. Methods: Thirty-seven chemical veterans
with moderate to severe injury based on the
standards of Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs were selected from
Mazandaran province. Then, the spouses of 31 of them were selected and 15 of
their close relatives also enrolled in the study as the control group. The
three groups were evaluated by GHQ for their mental health and Pittsburg Sleep
Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS
software 16 and descriptive and analytic statistical methods. Results: The mean score of mental
health in veterans, their spouses and close relatives were 44.13 ± 14.4, 34.19
± 15.2 and 21.73 ± 17.32, respectively. The mean scores of PSQI test in
veterans, their spouses, and their close relatives were 10.94 ± 5.6, 8.7 ± 5.5
and 4.27 ± 1 that the difference was statistically significant among the three
groups (P ≤ 0.0001). A positive relationship was seen between mental health and
sleep quality in veterans and their spouses respectively (r = 0.4, P = 0.02) and (r = 0.83, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Poor sleep quality in
chemical veterans compared to their spouses and close relatives could be due to
mental health, rather than chemical effects and chronic lung disease.
Therefore, treatment of mental health might be an important step to improve the
sleep quality of veterans.
Share and Cite:
S. Hosseini, R. Yaghoobi, F. Haghdoost, A. Dooshan and S. Yekta, "Investigating the Relationship between Sleep Quality and Mental Health in Chemical Veterans in Comparison with Their Spouses and a Control Group,"
International Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol. 5 No. 4, 2014, pp. 162-166. doi:
10.4236/ijcm.2014.54028.