Open AccessSleep disturbance in adults with sickle cell disease: relationships with executive and psychological functioning
Author(s) -
Amanda Rhodes,
Staci Martin,
Pamela L. Wolters,
Yessica Rodriguez,
Mary Anne ToledoTamula,
Kari Struemph,
Courtney D. Fitzhugh,
Matt Hsieh,
John F. Tisdale
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
annals of hematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.079
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1432-0584
pISSN - 0939-5555
DOI - 10.1007/s00277-020-04058-7
Subject(s) - anxiety , neurocognitive , depression (economics) , sleep disorder , sleep (system call) , clinical psychology , psychology , disease , psychological intervention , cognition , psychiatry , medicine , computer science , economics , macroeconomics , operating system
Sleep disturbance is common among children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and is related to neurocognitive difficulties. However, research on sleep disturbances and related variables among adults with SCD is extremely limited. The present study examined the relationship between sleep, executive functioning, and emotional functioning among 62 adults (29 females; M age = 32 years, SD = 7.79) with SCD preparing to undergo a stem cell transplant. Participants were administered a neurocognitive evaluation that included objective and subjective measures of executive functioning, and they completed PROMIS self-report measures of anxiety, depression, and pain intensity. Results showed that about 17% of participants endorsed clinically significant sleep disruptions, while 16.1% and 8% endorsed clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Sleep disturbance in these adults was not significantly correlated with objective or subjective measures of executive functioning. Moreover, anxiety, but not depression, was a significant mediator between self-reported sleep difficulties and both objective and subjective measures of executive functioning while controlling for pain intensity. Future research on sleep interventions will be essential for ameliorating the effects of sleep disturbance on executive functioning and anxiety among adults with SCD.