Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep and Its Relation with Insomnia in Three Groups of Psychiatric Patients

Reports have shown a link between dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and sleep disorders. We investigated the frequency of dysfunctional beliefs about sleep in three groups of patients suffering from psychiatric disorders (patients with major depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety).

In this cross-sectional study, 150 patients with psychiatric disorders referred to psychiatry clinic affiliated to Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran. Fifty patients were selected in each group (anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder). Two questionnaires of Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep (DBAS) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were completed for all patients. Data were analyzed with Student’s t, chi-square, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation tests.

A significant difference was observed between the three groups in the latency to fall asleep at night (P = 0.002) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) ≤ 5 (P = 0.002). Patients with anxiety and bipolar disorder more than other groups believed that insomnia caused loss of life joy (P = 0.010) and the only solution for sleeplessness was medication (P = 0.003), respectively. There was a significant relationship between sleep quality and anxiety (P = 0.030), total sleep time (P = 0.040), sleep latency (P = 0.020), and ISI (P < 0.010) with depression, awakening time during night, and bipolar disorder (P = 0.030).

Patients with psychiatric disorders have high frequency of dysfunctional beliefs about sleep. Regarding the relationship between dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and insomnia, future work is needed for better treatment.