Nightingale, Chandylen L.

Objective: The demands of providing unpaid care for someone with a disabling health condition (i.e., informal caregiving) can limit attention to one’s own health needs. Using a nationally representative survey, this study examines whether caregivers report different healthcare utilization relative to non-caregivers. Method: Participants in the Health Information National Trends Survey 5, Cycle 1 reported whether they provided unpaid care and healthcare utilization outcomes.

Purpose: Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients suffer from significant morbidity, which may introduce challenging care demands and subsequent stress-induced mind-body interactions for informal caregivers. This prospective study evaluated patient and caregiver predictors of diurnal cortisol rhythm among HNC caregivers during radiation treatment. Method: Patient-caregiver dyads completed measures at radiation treatment start (T1; n = 32) and 5 weeks into treatment (T2; n = 29).