The relationship of health behaviors with sleep and fatigue in transplant caregivers.

ObjectiveThe burden and psychological impact of providing care to a loved one with cancer is significant and associated with a number of problems including sleep disturbance and fatigue. While engaging in healthy behaviors such as proper nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction may improve sleep and fatigue, few studies have focused on this relationship. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship of health behaviors with sleep quality and fatigue in transplant caregivers.MethodsData were analyzed from a cross-sectional survey of 78 caregivers of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Measures included: Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II), Brief Symptom Inventory (Distress), Caregiver Reaction Assessment (Caregiver Burden), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory Short-Form.ResultsControlling for age, gender, BMI, burden and distress, health behaviors predicted sleep quality (B = -0.408, p = 0.021) and fatigue (B = -0.966, p ConclusionsDespite the burden and distress associated with caregiving, engaging in healthy behaviors may help to improve sleep and fatigue in transplant caregivers. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.