Relationship between social support and sleep of elderly caregivers

• Grant number: 20/04363-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2021
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing - Public Health Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Ariene Angelini dos Santos Orlandi
• Grantee: Daniele Cristina Barbosa
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The lack of social support in old age can health problems, including those related to sleep. In the context of care, both the scarcity of social support and sleep problems among caregivers can interfere in the quality of life and well-being of those involved. Thus, through the early identification of the conditions, interventions can be planned in order to reduce spending on health services and improve the quality of life of these individuals. Objective: to analyze the relationship between social support and sleep of elderly people who care for other elderly people. Method: descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study, based on quantitative research. This is an excerpt from a larger study, in which elderly caregivers of other elderly people will participative (n±120). The sample will be composed of the following inclusion criteria: being 60 years of age or older; be the primary caregiver of an elderly person; reside in the same house as the elderly person receiving care; be registered in a Family Health Unit inserted in a context of high social vulnerability. Exclusion criteria will be: severe hearing or vision deficits, which may make communication difficult. The interviews will be conducted at the participants' homes, between September and December/2020, by previously trained undergraduate and graduate students, using the following instruments: questionnaire to characterize the elderly caregiver and the context of care; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Scale. Descriptive and correlational analyses will be performed. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test will be used to verify adherence or not to the normal distribution of variables and to define the use of parametric (in case of normal) and non-parametric (in case of non-normality) tests. The significance level for statistical tests will be p-value d0.05. All ethical care governing research with human beings will be respected.