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Purpose: The purposes of this study are to describe sleep quality and sleep disturbance among caregivers of children in the maintenance phase of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and to examine the relationship between sleep quality, child sleep disturbance, and caregiver guilt and worry.Methods: Caregivers of 68 children with ALL, ages 3 to 12 years old, completed measures of caregiver guilt and worry, caregiver sleep quality, and child's developmental history and sleep habits. Demographic and treatment correlates of poor caregiver sleep were examined, and caregiver guilt and worry was tested as a moderator between child and caregiver sleep.Results: More than half of caregivers (55.9%) reported clinically significant poor sleep and less than 40% were obtaining adequate sleep durations. Caregiver sleep was significantly related to child age at diagnosis, child sleep, and caregiver guilt and worry. Caregiver guilt and worry did not moderate the relationship between child sleep and caregiver sleep.Conclusions: Poor sleep is common in caregivers of children with cancer. Further research on the timing of sleep interventions and the most effective intervention targets are needed to maximize caregiver functioning during a child's cancer treatment. Targeted interventions seeking to improve caregiver sleep should be directed towards caregivers of children diagnosed in early childhood, caregivers of children with poor sleep, and caregivers with high guilt and worry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Corticosteroids can affect sleep patterns, mood, and behavior. Two of the most commonly prescribed corticosteroids in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), dexamethasone and prednisone, may impact sleep differently, but no research has compared these medications in children. The current study tested the hypothesis that dexamethasone and prednisone differentially affect sleep in children with ALL to understand how these medications contribute to health-related quality of life (HRQL).Methods: Parents of 81 children 3-12 years old in maintenance therapy for ALL completed a baseline measure of child sleep (dexamethasone n = 55, prednisone n = 26), and 61 parents returned 28 days of child sleep diaries starting the first day of a 5-day steroid course (dexamethasone n = 43, prednisone n = 18). Parents also completed measures of HRQL and fatigue on the last day of steroids and the last day of the month.Results: At baseline, parents reported more sleep disturbances in children taking dexamethasone than prednisone. Across the month, children taking dexamethasone experienced poorer sleep quality compared to children taking prednisone. During corticosteroid treatment, children taking dexamethasone also experienced more night awakenings than children taking prednisone. Sleep variables accounted for almost half of the variance in HRQL during time off steroids and also significantly contributed to fatigue during the corticosteroids course and time off corticosteroids.Conclusions: Sleep is an essential component of HRQL in children taking corticosteroids, and the impact on sleep is more pronounced in children taking dexamethasone compared to prednisone. Screening for sleep disturbances and offering brief interventions to manage steroid-related sleep disruptions may improve HRQL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The current study investigated the reliability and validity of several skin color and damage measurement strategies and explored their applicability among participants of different races, skin types, and sexes.Methods: One hundred college-aged participants completed an online survey about their perceived skin damage and skin protection. They also attended an in-person session in which an observer rated their skin color; additionally, UV photos and spectrophotometry readings were taken.Results: Trained research assistants rated the damage depicted in the UV photos reliably. Moderate to high correlations emerged between skin color self-report and spectrophotometry readings. Observer rating correlated with spectrophotometry rating of current but not natural skin color. Lighter-skinned individuals reported more cumulative skin damage, which was supported by UV photography. Although women's current skin color was lighter and their UV photos showed similar damage to men's, women reported significantly more damaged skin than men did.Conclusions: These findings suggest that self-report continues to be a valuable measurement strategy when skin reflectance measurement is not feasible or appropriate and that UV photos and observer ratings may be useful but need to be tested further. The results also suggest that young women and men may benefit from different types of skin cancer prevention interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]