Pain, sleep patterns and health-related quality of life in paediatric patients with cancer

Purpose: To compare sleep and healthâ€Ârelated quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents with cancer who had pain, with those who had no pain during hospitalisation. Method: A prospective comparative study was used to collect data from paediatric oncology units in three countries (Portugal, Brazil, USA). Participants (n = 118; 8-18 years) completed the Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Cancer module, which includes a pain subscale, and wore a wrist actigraph for at least 72 hr. Results: Almost half of the participants (48.3%) reported having pain. Sleep patterns were not affected by pain. Girls, adolescents and patients diagnosed with leukaemia/ lymphoma who reported pain, had significantly lower HRQOL scores. Low sleep duâ€Â ration and HRQOL were found, irrespectively of pain status. Conclusions: The low sleep duration and HRQOL score in children and adolescents with cancer highlight the importance of physical and psychosocial nursing intervenâ€Â tions during hospitalisation. The mediating effect of gender, age and diagnoses on the relation between pain and HRQOL needs to be further understood.