Factors associated with sleep health in young women after breast cancer treatment

Young women with breast cancer (YWBC) report physical and psychological symptom distress after therapy but little is known about their sleep health. The purpose of this study was to identify sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors associated with sleep health and assess the potential role of appraisal of illness and coping on sleep health. An adapted cognitive appraisal and coping conceptual framework guided the study. We used a cross-sectional design with 159 women who were diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer ≤50 years old. Sleep health was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The mean age was 43.6 years (SD = 6.8), the majority of whom were non-Hispanic White (84%) and completed chemotherapy or radiotherapy (>70%). More than half of participants (55%) reported poor sleep health (PSQI > 8), and those with worse family functioning and from a racial/ethnic minority group were significantly more likely to have poor sleep health. Cognitive appraisal had a minimal mediation effect for anxiety on sleep health, and coping did not mediate the effect of any psychosocial variables on sleep health. Poor sleep health is a significant clinical problem in YWBC. Further research is needed to explore sleep health disparities among diverse cancer survivors and to examine sleep health in the context of family. Sleep assessment, management, and appropriate referrals to sleep providers should be part of routine survivorship care.