Sleep quality in patients with positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder that primarily manifests itself in two ways, showing either positive or negative symptoms. Sleep disorders are one of the main attributes of this disorder that affects the quality of patients with schizophrenia. The evaluation of the quality of sleep in patients showing both positive and negative symptoms can be useful in the planning program of the diagnosis and treatment of these patients. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the quality of sleep of schizophrenic patients showing positive symptoms with those who show negative symptoms.Methods: This study was descriptive-analytic in nature. A total of 100 patients suffering from schizophrenia admitted to the Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran, during 2015-16, were considered for this study. We used convenience sampling to assign the participants into 2 groups of patients showing positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, respectively. The data were collected by conducting face-to-face interviews. Two questionnaires were used, namely, the Anderson Positive and Negative Symptoms Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire. The data were analyzed with the SPSS-22 software.Results: There was a significant difference between the overall score of sleep quality in patients with positive and negative symptoms for schizophrenia (P = 0.046) with the patients with positive symptoms reporting poorer sleep quality. In addition, patients with the positive symptoms showed a higher impairment of daily functions than those with negative symptoms (p = 0.024). However, there was no significant difference in the subjective quality of sleep, delayed sleep, sleep duration, sleep disorders and the use of sleep medications between the 2 groups (P >0.05).Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the quality of sleep in patients with positive symptoms is poorer than those with negative symptoms, which is associated with a higher impairment in their daily functions. Therefore, attention to sleep quality is recommended during the person-centered treatment of these patients.