ASPO Abstracts
Relationship of objectively-measured physical activity and sleep with psychological distress among cancer survivors and their informal caregivers
Category: Lifestyles Behavior, Energy Balance & Chemoprevention
Conference Year: 2022
Abstract Body:
Purpose of the study: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of actigraphy-measured physical activity and sleep with psychological distress (depression and anxiety) among cancer survivor-caregiver dyads. Methods: Survivors and their informal caregivers participating in a randomized controlled trial to reduce symptom burden were recruited to wear a GENEActiv actigraphy device for one week at baseline. Minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sleep duration and efficiency were collected by the GENEActiv. Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) 8-item short form was used to assess anxiety and the 20-item Center of Epidemiologic Studies - Depression (CES-D) was used to assess depressive symptoms. Pearson correlation were used for the associations of MVPA and sleep with anxiety and depression for survivors and caregivers. Standardized effect sizes (Cohen's d) were estimated for differences in mean sleep measures and MVPA according to the levels of the CES-D (‚â•16 or <16). Results: Among the 82 participants (41 survivors and 41 caregivers), 40% self-identified as being Hispanic or Latino. The majority (61%) of survivors had breast cancer, and were on average 28 months from diagnosis. Among survivors and caregivers, average CES-D score was 16 (SD=11) and 10 (SD=7), and average PROMIS anxiety score was 54 (SD=12) and 50 (SD=9), respectively. Among survivors, MVPA, sleep duration and efficiency were not significantly correlated with depressive symptoms or anxiety. Among caregivers, more MVPA was associated significantly with greater depressive symptoms (r=0.31 p=0.05) and greater anxiety (r=0.36, p=0.02). Yet, longer sleep duration was correlated with lower depressive and anxiety symptoms among caregivers (r=-0.29, p=0.06, r=-0.33, p=0.03). Differences in survivors' mean sleep efficiency according the levels of the CES-D corresponded to a moderate effect size d=0.47, and large difference d=0.78 was seen for MVPA among caregivers. Conclusion: Modifiable lifestyle behaviors may represent reasonable targets for improving psychological distress. Knowledge of their association or lack thereof with psychological distress may help guide lifestyle interventions for survivors and caregivers.
Keywords: cancer survivor, caregiver, actigraphy, sleep, psychological distress, physical activity