Intraindividual Cortisol Variability and Psychological Functioning in Caregivers of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients. Issue 2 (February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sannes, Timothy S.; Mikulich-Gilbertson, Susan K.; Natvig, Crystal L.; Laudenslager, Mark L.
• Is Part Of: Psychosomatic medicine. Volume 78:Issue 2(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-02
• Subjects: cortisol -- intraindividual variability -- caregiving -- stress -- hematopoietic stem cell transplant -- Allo-HSCT = allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant -- AUC = area under the curve -- CAR = cortisol awakening response -- HLM = hierarchical linear modeling -- HPA = hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal -- ICV = intraindividual cortisol variability; Medicine, Psychosomatic -- Periodicals; 616.0805
• DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000272
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-3174

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Objective: Caregiving for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (Allo-HSCT) patients carries a significant psychological burden, yet it remains unclear whether Allo-HSCT caregivers demonstrate disruptions to stress systems, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Greater intraindividual cortisol variability (ICV) has been observed in psychiatric disorders; however, there is a knowledge gap evaluating ICV in caregivers. We predicted that greater ICV would be related to poorer mental health in Allo-HSCT caregivers. Methods: Allo-HSCT caregivers ( n = 140) collected saliva for 3 consecutive days at 4 time points/d. Psychological variables included sleep quality and a summary composite score of overall mental health. Results: Regression analyses demonstrated that greater ICV was significantly related to poorer overall mental health ( β = 0.25, p = .009), whereas poorer sleep did not reach significance ( β = 0.16, p = .069). No significant relationships emerged for the cortisol area under the curve, diurnal decline, or awakening response. Conclusions: Results extend prior work examining ICV as a unique marker that is possibly more sensitive than other widely applied measures of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation to a distressed population of caregivers. Abstract : Supplemental digital content is available in the text.