title: Trajectories of fatigue in family caregivers of patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
abstract: Predictors of and trajectories for evening and morning fatigue were evaluated in family caregivers of oncology patients using hierarchical linear modeling. Evening fatigue trajectory fit a quadratic model. Predictors included baseline sleep disturbances in family caregivers and baseline evening fatigue in patients. Morning fatigue trajectory fit a linear model. Predictors were baseline trait anxiety, levels of perceived family support, and baseline morning fatigue in patients. Findings suggest considerable inter-individual variability in the trajectories of evening and morning fatigue. Evaluating family caregivers for sleep disturbance, anxiety, and poor family support, as well as high levels of patient fatigue, could identify those family caregivers at highest risk for sustained fatigue trajectories.
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska College of Nursing, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara A Swore
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: Marylin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: Bradley E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Aouizerat
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Swift
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wara
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miaskowski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D013997:Time Factors