Benefit-Finding Intervention may Alleviate Caregiver Insomnia, but More Data are Needed

Sleep disturbance is a very common problem among caregivers of relatives with dementia, with complex causes involving personal, care-recipient, and environmental factors. 1 Gao C Chapagain NY Scullin MK Sleep duration and sleep quality in caregivers of patients with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2019; 2e199891 Crossref PubMed Scopus (80) Google Scholar It is no doubt a contributor to depression in caregivers but the relationship between sleep disturbance and depression is likely bidirectional. 2 Baglioni C Berger M Riemann D Bidirectional relationships between sleep, insomnia, and depression. in: Lavretsky H Sajatovic M Reynolds CF. Late-life Mood Disorders. Oxford University Press, New York2013: 347-360 Google Scholar Given its prevalence among dementia family caregivers, it has been suggested that sleep problem should be assessed more often as an outcome in intervention studies. 3 Gersdorf R: Improving sleep quality of dementia family caregivers: benefit-finding as a strategy? Am J Geriatr Psychiatry (this issue) Google Scholar