Sleep Quality and Insomnia in Patients with Alcohol Dependence: Association with Severity of Alcohol Dependence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/ajpr.v28i2%20(Part%20A).954Keywords:
Alcohol dependence, sleep quality, insomnia, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index, Severity of Alcohol Dependence QuestionnaireAbstract
Background: Sleep disturbances are common in patients with alcohol dependence and may be associated with the severity of alcohol dependence. Previous studies have reported substantial sleep disturbance and insomnia in alcohol-dependent populations.¹⁻³ This study aimed to assess sleep quality and insomnia in patients with alcohol dependence and examine their association with severity of alcohol dependence.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 1.5 years in the Department of Psychiatry, Victoria Hospital, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute. Patients aged 18–65 years diagnosed with alcohol dependence syndrome according to ICD-10 were included. Patients with other substance use disorders except nicotine dependence, psychiatric or medical conditions likely to affect sleep, delirium, significant recent withdrawal, or use of medications affecting sleep were excluded. Severity of alcohol dependence was assessed using the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire,⁴ sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index,⁵ and insomnia severity using the Insomnia Severity Index.⁶ Associations were assessed using Spearman correlation and chi-square tests.
Results: A total of 62 patients were included. The mean age was 42.87±9.89 years, and 61(98.4%) were males. The mean SADQ score was 21.44±10.79, with mild, moderate and severe dependence observed in 41.94%, 35.48% and 22.58% of participants, respectively. The mean PSQI score was 5.97±3.55, with poor sleep quality (PSQI ≥5) present in 58.06% of participants. The mean ISI score was 10.00±6.13, and 59.68% had clinically significant insomnia (ISI ≥8). SADQ score showed a significant positive correlation with PSQI score (rho=0.394, p=0.002) and ISI score (rho=0.426, p=0.001). Severity of alcohol dependence was also significantly associated with PSQI category (p=0.005) and ISI category (p=0.027).
Conclusion: Poor sleep quality and clinically significant insomnia were common among patients with alcohol dependence. Greater severity of alcohol dependence was significantly associated with poorer sleep quality and greater insomnia severity. Routine assessment of sleep quality and insomnia may therefore be useful in the comprehensive clinical evaluation of patients with alcohol dependence.
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