Sleep quality and social support in people over 65 years old who have had a quarantine process due to COVID-19

Abstract

Background and Aim: We aimed to investigate the effects of anxiety or social support on sleep quality in patients with Covid-19who were older than 65 years of age and undergoing quarantine process.Material and Method: The study included the patients ?65 years of age who had a quarantine process for 14 days during theCovid-19 outbreak. The sociodemographic features and comorbidities were recorded in all patients. Geriatric anxiety scale (GAS),multidimensional perceived social support scale (SS), and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) questionnaires were applied.Results: Totally 198 patients (123 male and 75 female) were included in the study. Among patients, 115 (58.1%) patients wereliving in a nursing home. All GAS scores and the total PSQI were significantly higher and all SS scores were significantlylower in PCR positive patients compared with the negative ones (p=0.001). Moreover, all GAS scores and the total PSQI weresignificantly higher and all SS scores were significantly lower in patients living in nursing homes compared with the others(p=0.001).Conclusion: In elderly patients faced with the Covid-19, social support was negatively associated with the sleep disturbances.We suggest that, increasing social support is important in elderly patients in the clash against Covid-19.