Insomniac complaints interfere with quality of life but not with absenteeism: respective role of depressive and organic comorbidity

Sleep Med. 2006 Oct;7(7):585-91. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2006.04.006. Epub 2006 Sep 22.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Insomnia is common and associated with poor health status and quality of life. We designed a study to evaluate the impact of insomniac complaints with and without comorbidity on health status and absenteeism.

Patients and methods: This is a cross-sectional study performed within a 1-year follow up study on a prospective cohort of French employees. Insomniac subjects (n=986) were compared to control subjects (n=584). Insomniacs suffering from self-reported depressive feelings and behavioral and organic sleep complaints were excluded.

Results: Subjects with insomniac complaints (whether with mood or behavioral and organic sleep complaints or not) reported poorer quality of life and had a higher absenteeism rate than controls (9.6+/-31 versus 5.8+/-19 days, P<0.01). A logistic regression model adjusting for depressive and behavioral and organic sleep complaints showed that insomniac complaints were no longer predictive of absenteeism.

Conclusions: Insomniac complaints are strongly associated with deterioration in quality of life but not necessarily with higher absenteeism.

MeSH terms

  • Absenteeism*
  • Adult
  • Cohort Studies
  • Comorbidity
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Depressive Disorder / epidemiology*
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • France
  • Health Status*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prospective Studies
  • Quality of Life / psychology*
  • Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / psychology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires