Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on psychological status and sleep quality of elderly patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease during COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND With the increase of age, the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease increases in elderly patients. Due to a lack of an understanding of the disease, high psychological pressure, and other factors, the patients may develop negative emotions, which thus affects their quality of sleep. AIM To investigate the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on psychological status and sleep quality of elderly patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS A total of 120 elderly patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease admitted to our hospital from May 2020 to October 2020 were selected and randomly divided into either a control group or an observation group with 60 patients each. Both groups were given routine medical care, such as diet care, health education, medication care, sports care, psychological care, and disease-related knowledge consultation. The observation group was additionally given mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy five times, with each intervention lasting 30 min. To ensure the completion of the study, the intervention was performed every 2 d, with each participant completing the intervention within 10 d and receiving eight times of intervention. The Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21), Mood State Scale (POMS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale (PSQI) were used for scoring before and after the intervention. RESULTS Compared with the scores before intervention, the scores of the dimensions of depression, anxiety, and stress and the total score of DASS-21 were significantly decreased in both groups after intervention (P < 0.05);the decrease in the observation group was significantly greater than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the values before intervention, the scores of subscales of stress and depression in both groups decreased significantly after intervention (P < 0.05);the changes in the observation group were significantly greater than those in the control group (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the scores of subscales of ego, fatigue, energy, anger, and panic (P > 0.05). Compared with the values before intervention, the scores of sleep quality, sleeping time, sleeping time, sleep efficiency, sleep disorder, hypnotic drugs, and daytime dysfunction and total score of the PSQI decreased significantly in both groups after intervention (P < 0.05);the decrease in the observation group was significantly greater than that of the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy can effectively reduce anxiety and depression in elderly patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease during the COVID-19 epidemic, and positively improve their sleep quality.