The Moderating Effect of Veteran Status on the Relationship Between Fatigue and Sleep Disturbance in Primary Caregivers of Patients With Cancer

Abstract

Fatigue may lead to disordered sleep. Primary caregivers of patients with cancer may suffer from higher levels of disordered sleep because of care-related fatigue. Older-adult veterans with cancer tend to be emotionally negative, which increases the challenges of care. This study was designed to investigate the veteran status of patients as a possible moderator in the relationship between fatigue and disordered sleep in primary caregivers. In this cross-sectional study, 127 primary caregivers of patients with cancer were randomly recruited from three hospitals in northern Taiwan. Data were collected using a demographics datasheet, the Taiwanese version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory, and the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analyses, and hierarchical regression analyses were used to analyze the obtained data. Fatigue in the participants was shown to correlate significantly and positively with their sleep quality (r = .632, p < .01), with fatigue found to affect sleep quality positively (β = .472, p < .001). The regression analyses showed the explanatory power of fatigue on sleep disorders (b = .148, p < .001) to be higher in caregivers of veteran patients than in caregivers of non-veteran patients (b = .091, p < .001). Veteran patient status may moderate the relationship between fatigue and disordered sleep in primary caregivers. Nurses should assess caregiver fatigue status and offer appropriate resources.