Changes in Sleep Predict Changes in Affect in Older Caregivers of Individuals with Alzheimers Dementia: A Multilevel Model Approach

This study was a preliminary examination of whether a sample with a greater proportion of older dementia caregivers exhibits similar daily sleep/affect associations. Methods: Sleep diaries, actigraphy, and affect data were collected concurrently for 7 days in 55 community-dwelling, dementia caregivers (M = 62.80 years, SD = 12.21; 77.8% female). Sleep and affect were examined within- (day-to-day level) and between-persons (mean level). Results: Findings for older noncaregivers were replicated for negative affect only. Specifically, nights characterized by better subjective sleep were characterized by lower negative affect, and vice versa. Discussion: Examining older caregivers’ daily sleep/affect association is important, because caregiving-related awakenings are unavoidable, often unpredictable, and can impact mood. Future research is needed to examine whether regularization in awakenings and/or negative affect represent important secondary, or even target, treatment outcomes for this vulnerable population.
Source: Journals of Gerontology: Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research