Sleep Depression, and Psychosocial Risk Factors in Caregivers

这个职业发展奖的目标是为丽莎·梅尔策博士提供经验和 成为一名独立的临床研究人员所需的知识，架起儿科领域的桥梁 心理学和睡眠医学。梅尔策博士是一位临床心理学家，他将通过一个 结合定向阅读、研讨会、课程作业和辅导性研究。一支高素质的团队 导师将监督她的培训和研究，确保她达到目标。梅尔策医生会 检查儿科照顾者的睡眠、抑郁和心理社会危险因素。这样做的具体目的是 建议是：1)表征睡眠模式和日间功能(情绪障碍、疲劳和 呼吸机依赖儿童(VDC)照顾者和健康儿童照顾者的执行功能 儿童，2)确定与照顾者负担和抑郁症状相关的危险和保护因素 照顾者，3)检查睡眠作为照顾者负担和抑郁之间关系的中介 护理者的症状，以及4)开发和评估旨在改善护理者的简短干预措施 睡眠，间接的好处是改善抑郁和疲劳的症状。这些目标将是 通过两项研究完成：研究1是对睡眠、抑郁症状和心理社会的评估 呼吸机依赖儿童的照顾者和健康对照儿童的照顾者的危险因素。 研究2是一项试验性干预，旨在改善照顾者的睡眠质量和数量。该项目将解决 关于父母照料者负担的经验测量的科学文献中的空白 患有慢性身体或心理健康障碍的儿童，照顾对情绪、疲劳和 执行功能，以及慢性睡眠中断与照顾者白天功能的关系。在……里面 此外，该项目将为申请者提供设计、实施和分析 临床研究和干预研究，使用活动记录仪作为睡眠的客观衡量标准，以及 睡眠剥夺、睡眠和抑郁方面的专门培训，以及与研究相关的伦理问题 患有慢性身体或精神健康障碍的儿童的家庭。建议的学习和职业 发展活动将为梅尔策博士提供技能，使其发展成为一名独立的调查员 一项以儿科人群照顾者为重点的研究计划。与公共卫生的相关性：虽然 照顾者经常说，照顾亲人的人提供的服务估计价值2570亿美元 他们自己的健康和福祉处于危险之中。大约8%的儿童患有慢性疾病 把父母变成了照顾者。这种一天24小时的工作往往会导致抑郁症状的增加。 由于照顾他人或压力而导致的睡眠不足可能导致负性功能的发生率增加(例如，情绪和 疲劳)。这项研究将考察睡眠、抑郁症状和照顾者之间的关系 增加儿科护理者的负担，并开发改善护理者睡眠的方法。

The objective of this career development award is to provide Dr. Lisa Meltzer with the experience and knowledge necessary to become an independent clinical researcher, bridging the fields of pediatric psychology and sleep medicine. Dr. Meltzer, a clinical psychologist, will accomplish this goal through a combination of directed reading, seminars, coursework, and mentored research. A highly qualified team of mentors will supervise her training and research, ensuring that she meets her goals. Dr. Meltzer will be examining sleep, depression, and psychosocial risk factors in pediatric caregivers. The specific aims of this proposal are:1) to characterize sleep patterns and daytime functioning (mood disturbances, fatigue, and executive functioning) in caregivers of ventilator-dependent children (VDC) and caregivers of healthy children, 2) to identify risk and protective factors related to caregiver burden and depressive symptoms in caregivers, 3) to examine sleep as a mediator of the relationship between caregiver burden and depressive symptoms in caregivers, and 4) to develop and evaluate a brief intervention designed to improve caregiver sleep, with the indirect benefit of improving symptoms of depression and fatigue. These aims will be accomplished with two studies: Study 1 is an evaluation of sleep, depressive symptoms, andpsychosocial risk factors in caregivers of children who are ventilator-dependent and caregivers of healthy control children. Study 2 is a pilot intervention to improve sleep quality and quantity in caregivers. This project will address gaps in the scientific literature related to the empirical measurement of caregiver burden for parents of children with chronic physical or mental health disorders, the impact of caregiving on mood, fatigue, and executive functioning, and how chronic sleep disruption is related to caregiver daytime functioning. In addition, this project will provide the applicant with expertise in the design, implementation, and analysis of clinical research and intervention studies, the use of actigraphy as an objective measure of sleep, and specialized training in sleep deprivation, sleep and depression, and ethical issues related to research with families of children with chronic physical or mental health disorders. The proposed study and career development activities will provide Dr. Meltzer with the skills to develop into an independent investigator with a program of research focusing on caregivers of pediatric populations. Relevance to Public Health: While the services of people who care for loved ones are estimated to be worth $257 billion, caregivers often put their own health and well-being at risk. Approximately 8% of children have a chronic condition that transforms parents into caregivers. This 24-hour a day job often results in elevated symptoms of depression. Sleep loss due to caregiving or stress may result in increased rates of negative functioning (e.g., mood and fatigue). This study will examine the relationship between sleep, depressive symptoms, and caregiver burden in pediatric caregivers, and develop ways to improve caregiver sleep.