Author(s)

Serhat Yildirim¹, Papatya Karakurt^2*

¹Health Sciences Institute, Erzincan Binali Yildirim University, Erzincan, Turkey.
²Faculty of Health Sciences, Erzincan Binali Yildirim University, Erzincan, Turkey.

Sleep disorders are common among the caregivers of older people with chronic diseases and those with anxiety and depressive disorders. This study aims to identify the perceived stress levels and sleep quality among caregivers of patients hospitalized in palliative care clinics. This study involves the caregivers of patients who were treated in the palliative care clinics of a city hospital in a city. The study utilized no sampling method, and the participants were composed of 153 caregivers who met the research criteria and agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected using the Socio-Demographic Form, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participating caregivers’ Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) mean score was found 23.76 ± 6.84 and the PSQI total mean score was found 9.16 ± 3.33. While the difference was found to be statistically significant according to caregivers’ marital status, kinship to the patient, financial effects, and the duration of the treatment in the palliative care unit in the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) mean score, it was statistically significant according to the kinship to the patient and knowledge about providing care to the patient in the PSQI total mean score. A statistically significant, positive, and low-level relationship was found between the Perceived Stress Score and the total PSQI score. It was found that the caregivers’ perceived stress levels were above-average and they had poor sleep quality. Caregivers’ stress levels and sleep quality were found to be affected by a number of variables.

Caregiver, Nursing, Palliative Care, Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality

Yildirim, S. and Karakurt, P. (2022) Identification of the Perceived Stress Levels and Sleep Quality among Caregivers of Patients Hospitalized in the Palliative Care Clinic. Open Access Library Journal, 9, 1-20. doi: 10.4236/oalib.1108607.