Perceived social support, fatigue, and sleep quality in women treated for gynecological cancer: a cross-sectional study.

AIM

The study aims to determine the levels of perceived social support, fatigue, and sleep quality among women undergoing treatment for gynecological cancer.

METHODS

This cross-sectional and descriptive study included 217 women. Participants completed the personal information form, the multidimensional perceived social support scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the brief fatigue questionnaire. This study was conducted with patients who received treatment at the Gynaecological Oncology Clinic of a Training and Research Hospital and met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected between April and September 2023 after obtaining approval from the ethics committee and the relevant institution.

RESULTS

The mean total score for perceived social support was 59.85 ± 17.04, the median total score on the fatigue scale was 63.00 (IQR = 16.50), and the mean total score on the PSQI was 6.91 ± 2.60. Most of the participants (67.4%) had poor sleep quality. There was a weak negative correlation between the daytime dysfunction subdimension and the total PSQI score and both the subdimensions and total score of the social support scale, as well as a weak positive correlation with the fatigue scale (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In our study, perceived social support and fatigue scores among patients with gynecological cancer were found to be above the moderate level, while their sleep quality was poor.