Sleep Quality, Pain and Self-Efficacy among Community-Dwelling Adults with Sickle Cell Disease
Abstract
**Please note that the full text is embargoed** ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper was to report the findings of a study examining
relationships among sleep, pain, self-efficacy, and
demographic attributes of community-dwelling adults with
sickle cell disease (SCD). Sleep difficulty has been self-reported
among adults with chronic pain. Past studies have
demonstrated that chronic pain results in sleep difficulties and
other complications that threaten effective functioning. Community-
dwelling adults with SCD are living longer and need to be
evaluated for sleep quality, pain, and self-efficacy. Little is known
about whether adults with SCD-related pain have disturbances
in sleep and self-efficacy, and if these disturbances are affected
by age and/or gender. The purpose of this descriptive, correlational
study was to examine the relationships among sleep, pain,
self-efficacy, and demographic attributes among communitydwelling
adults with SCD, and who use support services of
state SCD Associations in the United States. For this secondary
data analysis, the study was conducted from June, 2014 to
December, 2014 and used a descriptive correlational design to
analyze data from a primary study of a convenience sample of
90 subjects with SCD, who were 18 years of age and older. Linear
regression was used to compute the relationship between
dependent and independent variables. All measures were selfreported.
It was found that gender did not significantly affect
reports of sleep, pain, or self-efficacy. Self-efficacy accounted for
direct relationships with sleep and inverse relationships with
pain. Some individuals (16.7%) reported sleeping very well,
however, the majority (83.3%) was not sleeping very well, and
a greater number of individuals (93.3%) reported having some
pain. Among adults with chronic SCD pain, self-efficacy is
important in maintaining a stable quality of health. Future
assessments, interventions, and research should include comprehensive
sleep and pain evaluations, and measures to improve
self-efficacy and sleep quality, as well as measures to decrease
pain among community-dwelling adults with SCD.