Perceived sleep problems after spinal cord injury: Results from a community-based survey in Switzerland.

Objective

To investigate the burden of sleep problems within the Spinal Cord injured (SCI) community with respect to the general population (GP) in Switzerland. The study further explored potential predictors for receiving treatment for sleep problems after SCI.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

SCI community in Switzerland.

Participants

Individuals diagnosed with an SCI, aged 16 years or older that permanently reside in Switzerland (N = 1549).Interventions: Not applicable.Outcome measures: Perceived sleep problems within the SCI community and GP. For those with sleep problems and SCI, an indicator for having received treatment was measured.

Results

58.8% of survey participants indicated having a sleep problem; 69.4% of those with a sleep problem did not indicate receiving treatment. Amongst people living with an SCI, individuals between the ages of 46-60 years (adjusted Odds Ratio, OR = 3.07; 95% CI 1.54-6.16), participants reporting severe financial hardship (OR = 2.90; 95% CI) 1.69-4.96, and those that indicated having pain (OR = 5.62; 95% CI 3.52-8.98) were more likely to have a chronic sleep problem. In comparison to the Swiss GP, the prevalence of having a sleep problem was 18% higher among persons with SCI, with the largest discrepancy for males with paraplegia between the ages of 46-60 years (Prevalence ratio, PR = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.21-1.36).

Conclusion

Individuals with SCI experience more sleep problems compared to the Swiss GP. Findings from this study suggest that clinical screening for sleep issues targeting high risk groups is needed to reduce the large prevalence of non-treatment in individuals with SCI.