University of Twente Student Theses
Sleep on it : the assessment and treatment of sleep in specialized mental health care in the Netherlands
Reiter, L.C. (2023) Sleep on it : the assessment and treatment of sleep in specialized mental health care in the Netherlands.
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| Abstract: | Background: Sleep disturbances are prevalent among psychiatric populations. However, it is suspected that sleep is not receiving sufficient attention in clinical practice. Aim: The research aims to shed light on the current diagnostic and treatment practices of sleep disturbances in specialised mental health care in the Netherlands. Additionally, it is assessing whether the primary diagnosis, gender and suicidality of the patient affect these practices. Method: A content analysis of 54 patient files was conducted. Frequencies were calculated and chi-squares utilized for comparisons between diagnoses, gender, and suicidality. Results: In 59% of patient files an assessment of sleep was reported. These assessments were primarily done during the clinical interview while standardised questionnaires for sleep were not utilised. Symptoms of sleep-wake disorders were recognized in 46% of patients and a diagnosis of insomnia was made for 4%. These numbers lay below the prevalence rates of sleep disturbances in psychiatric populations. Additionally, these symptoms were more likely to be addressed with medication than non-medication interventions like CBT-I. Strikingly, 48% of patients with recognized symptoms did not receive any intervention addressing sleep. The primary diagnosis of the patient and whether they were suicidal did not significantly affect the assessment and treatment of sleep (p > .05). However, females were significantly more likely to be prescribed medication than males (p = .006), warranting a gender bias. Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that sleep is not sufficiently attended to in specialised mental health care in the Netherlands. Awareness of the importance of addressing sleep needs to be increased and assessments and treatments systematically implemented. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Clients: | GGNet, Warnsveld, The Netherlands |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/94469 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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