Caregiving-Related Sleep Problems and Their Relationship to Mental Health and Daytime Function in Female Veterans.
To identify caregiving-related sleep problems and their relationship to mental health and daytime function in female Veterans.



Female Veterans (N = 1,477) from cross-sectional, nationwide, postal survey data.



The survey respondent characteristics included demographics, comorbidity, physical activity, health, use of sleep medications, and history of sleep apnea. They self-identified caregiving- related sleep problems (i.e., those who had trouble sleeping because of caring for a sick adult, an infant/child, or other respondents). Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) was used to assess mental health, and daytime function was measured using 11 items of International Classification of Sleep Disorders-2 (ICSD-2).



Female Veterans with self-identified sleep problems due to caring for a sick adult (n = 59) experienced significantly more symptoms of depression and anxiety (p < 0.001) and impairment in daytime function (e.g., fatigue, daytime sleepiness, loss of concentration, p < 0.001) than those with self-identified sleep problems due to caring for an infant or child (n = 95) or all other respondents (n = 1,323) after controlling for the respondent characteristics.



Healthcare providers should pay attention to assessing sleep characteristics of female Veterans with caregiving responsibilities, particularly those caregiving for a sick adult.
a Geriatric Research , Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , California.|b David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , California.
Yeonsu
Y
Song
b David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , California.|c VA Health Services Research & Development Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation , Implementation, and Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , California.
Donna L
DL
Washington
c VA Health Services Research & Development Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation , Implementation, and Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , California.|d Fielding School of Public Health , University of California , Los Angeles , California.
Elizabeth M
EM
Yano
e Department of Psychosocial and Community Health , University of Washington, School of Nursing , Seattle , Washington.
Susan M
0000-0001-8624-3772
SM
McCurry
a Geriatric Research , Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , California.|b David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , California.
Constance H
CH
Fung
f Department of Psychology , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia.
Joseph M
JM
Dzierzewski
a Geriatric Research , Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , California.|g Department of Medicine , Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile , Santiago , Chile.
Juan Carlos
JC
Rodriguez
a Geriatric Research , Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , California.
Stella
S
Jouldjian
a Geriatric Research , Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , California.
Michael N
MN
Mitchell
a Geriatric Research , Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , California.|b David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , California.
Cathy A
CA
Alessi
a Geriatric Research , Education and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , California.|b David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , California.
Jennifer L
JL
Martin
D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000639:trends*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans
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