Self-reported Sleep Difficulties and Self-care Strategies Among Rural Older Adults

Overview

Journal J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2014 Mar 21

PMID 24647377

Citations 1

Authors

Joanne C Sandberg

Cynthia K Suerken

Sara A Quandt

Kathryn P Altizer

Ronny A Bell

Wei Lang

Ha T Nguyen

Joseph G Grzywacz

Thomas A Arcury

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

This study examined the use of self-care strategies to address difficulty sleeping among community-dwelling older adults. Data were collected from a series of 18 questionnaires administered to 195 rural African American and white older adults in North Carolina. Participants reported whether they had experienced difficulty sleeping and strategies used to respond to the symptom. The most widely used strategies included ignoring the symptom, staying in bed or resting, and praying. Herb and supplement use were not reported. Ethnicity, income, and education were associated with use of specific self-care strategies for sleep. This variation suggests that older adults may draw on cultural understandings to interpret the significance of difficulty sleeping and influence their use of self-care strategies, including complementary and alternative medicine use. This information may enable health care providers to communicate with the older patients about sleep difficulty strategies to minimize sleep problems.

Citing Articles

Intention to Use Long-Term Care Facilities: Differences beween Korean Pre-elderly and Korean Baby-boomers.

Hong M, Hong S, Kim M, Yi E J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2016; 31(4):357-368.

PMID: 27484325 PMC: 5148579. DOI: 10.1007/s10823-016-9300-6.

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