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The relationship between child and caregiver sleep in acute lymphoblastic leukemia maintenance

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Abstract

Purpose

The purposes of this study are to describe sleep quality and sleep disturbance among caregivers of children in the maintenance phase of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and to examine the relationship between sleep quality, child sleep disturbance, and caregiver guilt and worry.

Methods

Caregivers of 68 children with ALL, ages 3 to 12 years old, completed measures of caregiver guilt and worry, caregiver sleep quality, and child’s developmental history and sleep habits. Demographic and treatment correlates of poor caregiver sleep were examined, and caregiver guilt and worry was tested as a moderator between child and caregiver sleep.

Results

More than half of caregivers (55.9%) reported clinically significant poor sleep and less than 40% were obtaining adequate sleep durations. Caregiver sleep was significantly related to child age at diagnosis, child sleep, and caregiver guilt and worry. Caregiver guilt and worry did not moderate the relationship between child sleep and caregiver sleep.

Conclusions

Poor sleep is common in caregivers of children with cancer. Further research on the timing of sleep interventions and the most effective intervention targets are needed to maximize caregiver functioning during a child’s cancer treatment. Targeted interventions seeking to improve caregiver sleep should be directed towards caregivers of children diagnosed in early childhood, caregivers of children with poor sleep, and caregivers with high guilt and worry.

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Abbreviations

ALL:

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

PECI:

Parent Experience of Child Illness

CSHQ:

Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire

PSQI:

Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to Margo Szabo, Maisa Ziadni, and Katie Valosky for assistance with data collection and to Dayna Kahl and Alex Diguiseppe for assistance with data management.

Funding

Supported by a grant from the American Cancer Society PF-13-238-01-PCSM (PI: Daniel).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Camden, 311 North 5th Street, Camden, NJ, 08102, USA

    Lauren C. Daniel

  2. Division of Oncology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Lauren C. Daniel & Lamia P. Barakat

  3. Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Colleen M. Walsh & Lamia P. Barakat

  4. Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA

    Lisa J. Meltzer

  5. Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA

    Lisa J. Meltzer

  6. Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jacqueline D. Kloss

Authors
  1. Lauren C. Daniel
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  2. Colleen M. Walsh
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  3. Lisa J. Meltzer
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  4. Lamia P. Barakat
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  5. Jacqueline D. Kloss
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lauren C. Daniel.

Ethics declarations

The study was approved by the appropriate institutional review board. All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional review board and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of interest

This research was supported by a grant from the American Cancer Society PF-13-238-01-PCSM (PI: Daniel). The authors have no financial relationship with this funder and no conflicts of interest to declare.

Dr. Daniel has full control of all primary data and will allow the Journal to review upon request.

Financial disclosure

The authors have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.

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Daniel, L.C., Walsh, C.M., Meltzer, L.J. et al. The relationship between child and caregiver sleep in acute lymphoblastic leukemia maintenance. Support Care Cancer 26, 1123–1132 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-017-3933-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-017-3933-z

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