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Qualitative study of the quality of sleep in marginalized individuals living with HIV

Authors Saberi P, Comfort, Sheon, Johnson M 

Received 28 February 2013

Accepted for publication 28 March 2013

Published 14 June 2013 Volume 2013:7 Pages 499—507

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S44595

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 3



Parya Saberi,1 Megan Comfort,2 Nicolas Sheon,1 Mallory O Johnson1

1Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; 2RTI International, San Francisco, CA, USA

Abstract: Sleep disturbances have been reported to be higher in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals compared to the general population. Despite the consequences of poor quality of sleep (QOS), research regarding sleep disturbances in HIV infection is lacking and many questions regarding correlates of poor QOS, especially in marginalized populations, remain unanswered. We conducted one-on-one qualitative interviews with 14 marginalized HIV-infected individuals who reported poor QOS to examine self-reported correlates of sleep quality and explore the relationship between QOS and antiretroviral adherence. Findings suggest a complex and multidimensional impact of mental health issues, structural factors, and physical conditions on QOS of these individuals. Those reporting poor QOS as a barrier to antiretroviral adherence reported lower adherence due to falling asleep or feeling too tired to take medications in comparison to those who did not express this adherence barrier. These interviews underscore the importance of inquiries into a patient's QOS as an opportunity to discuss topics such as adherence, depression, suicidal ideation and substance use.

Keywords: adherence, HIV/AIDS, interviews, qualitative research, sleep

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