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theses

Recent medical advances have contributed to increased rates of childhood cancer survivorship (Ward et al., 2014) and addressing the psychosocial functioning of patients and their families is more relevant today than in previous decades. Children and adolescents with chronic health conditions, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, report lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) from initial diagnosis through the two to three-year-long maintenance phase of treatment (Earle & Eiser, 2007; Meeske, Katz, Palmer, Burwinkle & Varni, 2004). Both increased parent stress (Hamner, Latzman, Latzman, Elkin & Majumdar, 2015) and poor child sleep quality (van Litsenburg et al., 2011) can negatively contribute to child HRQL. Assessing modifiable components of HRQL can inform clinical practice and intervention development aimed at improving child and family outcomes. This study evaluated the relationship between child sleep quality and child HRQL, and assessed parent stress as a moderator of this relationship. Thirty-eight participants were parents of children (ages three through twelve) who were undergoing cancer treatment. Data assessing child sleep quality, child HRQL and parent stress was collected through parent self-report and child proxy-report questionnaires. Results showed that parent stress is not a moderator on the relationship between child sleep quality and child HRQL, however, parent age and parent stress remained significant variables to consider when evaluating child HRQL. Factors related to child sleep quality and parent stress, and clinical implications of study findings are discussed. Future research directions are offered.

ETD_9027

M.A.

Includes bibliographical references

by JuliaYael Gross

doi:10.7282/T3D79FRW

ETD graduate

The author owns the copyright to this work.