A study on the sleep state of trauma patients in Jiuzhaigou earthquake during the acute stress period and their countermeasures

Abstract

Objective To deeply explore the sleep state, real experience of sleep disorders and countermeasures in trauma patients in Jiuzhaigou earthquake during the acute stress period after the disaster. Methods The Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) was used to evaluate the sleep state of totally 32 trauma patients in earthquake. Their real experience of sleep as well as countermeasures were analyzed through the semi-structural interview for 16 patients who showed sleep disorders using the phenomenological method in the qualitative study. Results The incidence of sleep disorders among these trauma patients were attributed to their marital status, age, educational level, nationality, whether they had families who were dead in the disaster and whether they were amputated (paralyzed) (P<0.05) . The results boiled down to three topics: the sleep disorders in these patients were diverse; sleep disorders contributed to fatigue and negative emotions; and their countermeasures were onefold or lacking. Conclusions The trauma patients who are divorced or widowed, aged 50 or above, with a lower educational level, whose families are dead in the earthquake, or who are amputated or paralyzed are more likely to show sleep disorders, so they should be the focus of psychological crisis intervention. It is advised to improve the sleep quality and physical and mental health of trauma patients by such strategies as synergizing group counseling and individualized rehabilitation programs, building a three-level assistance mechanism involving experts, families and the society, combining multiple psychotherapies and medicine intervention and improving the psychological salvation mechanism. Key words: Earthquakes; Sleep disorders; Survivor; Qualitative study