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Sleep Characteristics of Parents of Children in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Pilot Observational Study
Hyejung Lee1, Hyeryeong Lee2,3, Sanghun Jung4
1Mo-Im Kim Nursing Research Institute, College of Nursing, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
Insights
Parents in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) experience poor sleep quality. Stressors like role changes and child appearance impact sleep, but findings vary by measurement tool.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Medicine
- Intensive Care Nursing
- Parental Well-being
Background:
- Parents of children in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) often suffer from poor sleep quality.
- This is attributed to the stress of the child's critical illness, uncertainty, and altered family dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine sleep characteristics in parents of PICU patients using subjective and objective measures.
- To explore factors contributing to sleep disturbances, including parental stress.
Main Methods:
- An observational pilot study involving 18 parents of PICU patients in South Korea.
- Utilized the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), General Sleep Disturbance Scale (GSDS), and actigraphy for sleep measurement.
- Assessed parental stress using the Parental Stress Scale:PICU.
Main Results:
- Parents reported poor sleep quality via PSQI and GSDS, averaging 5.73 hours of sleep per night with 86.8% sleep efficiency.
- No significant correlation was found between subjective sleep scores and actigraphy parameters, except for the GSDS daytime function subscale.
- Prominent stressors included changes in parental roles and the child's appearance; however, stress levels did not significantly correlate with sleep outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Sleep quality in PICU parents is influenced by various factors, with different subjective and objective measures capturing distinct aspects.
- The feasibility of actigraphy was confirmed, but findings require validation in larger studies.
- Integrating both objective and subjective sleep assessments is crucial for a comprehensive understanding and developing effective support strategies for PICU parents.
Background:
Parents of children hospitalised in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) exhibit poor sleep quality due to stress from the child's illness, uncertainty and changing family roles.
Aims:
We aimed to utilise two subjective and one objective measurement to examine sleep characteristics among parents of children in the PICU and explore possible contributing factors, including parental stress.
Study Design:
This observational pilot study assessed parents of children in the PICU in South Korea using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the General Sleep Disturbance Scale (GSDS). Sleep-related parameters were measured for 3 nights using an actigraph. The Parental Stress Scale:PICU was used to assess stress levels.
Results:
A total of 18 parents participated in the study. Sleep quality was poor on both PSQI and GSDS, and their total sleep scores did not correlate with any actigraphy parameter. Only the GSDS daytime function subscale suggested associations with sleep efficiency (p = 0.04) and wake after sleep onset (p = 0.04). Parents averaged 5.73 h of sleep per night, with a sleep efficiency of 86.8%. The most prominent stressors were changes in parental roles and the child's appearance, while stress levels were not significantly related to sleep. No single factor influenced sleep across all tools; rather, different factors, including parent characteristics and length of stay, exerted an influence that varied by measurement tool. All participants completed the actigraphy protocol, proving its feasibility.
Conclusions:
Factors influencing parental sleep varied by measurement tool, suggesting that subjective and objective sleep measures may capture different aspects of sleep in parents. As this was a pilot study for hypothesis generation and feasibility, the findings require further validation in larger-scale studies.
Relevance To Clinical Practice:
A comprehensive assessment that integrates objective and subjective sleep measures could improve the understanding of sleep among PICU parents and inform effective support strategies.
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