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Fatigue and sleep disturbance in HIV ‐positive women: a qualitative and biomedical approach
Author(s) -
Chen WeiTi,
Lee ShihYu,
Shiu ChengShi,
Simoni Jane M,
Pan Chengen,
Bao Meijuan,
Lu Hongzhou
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.12012
Subject(s) - actigraphy , medicine , focus group , sleep disorder , sleep (system call) , qualitative research , pandemic , psychiatry , insomnia , disease , gerontology , physical therapy , covid-19 , social science , marketing , sociology , computer science , infectious disease (medical specialty) , business , operating system , pathology
Aims and objectives This study explores how sleep and energy levels were affected in C hinese women diagnosed with HIV in C hina employing the A ctiwatch actigraphy system to collect data on the women's sleep characteristics. Background The worldwide AIDS pandemic, a major impetus behind the recent focus on global aspects of health, is one area in which the behavioural and biomedical expertise of nursing science is sorely needed. In particular, few studies of HIV + women have examined the association of HIV ‐related stress with sleep disturbance and fatigue. Especially, fatigue and sleep disturbances are a common complaint among people with HIV . Design A qualitative study with actigraphy device used. Methods In‐depth interviews were conducted with 19 HIV + women in S hanghai, C hina, from D ecember 2009– M arch 2010 and within this group, nine of the women agreed to wear an A ctiwatch actigraphy device for 72 hours. Results Two major themes emerged from the in‐depth interviews are as follows: sleep disturbance and fatigue. Participants presented varying amounts of sleeplessness, and fatigue resulting from nightmares, worrying about whether to disclose their diagnosis, and whether they might transmit the disease to their partners or children. Among the nine A ctiwatch study participants, data shown that those who experienced fragmented sleep also slept more during the daytime. Conclusions In this study, C hinese HIV + women described how stress had caused them to become sleepless. The objective data collected via A ctiwatch showed that these women required longer nap times, which indicates they did not have refreshing nocturnal sleep. Designing a culturally acceptable stress management intervention for these women is urgently needed. Relevance to clinical practice Sleep and fatigue level should be evaluated in each visit with HIV care. Nurses need to be trained in evaluating the HIV + patients' sleep and fatigue status and refer them to psychologist and/or relaxation technique accordingly. Self‐management intervention for HIV + individuals should also include the sleep hygiene into consideration.