FAMILY CAREGIVERS' LOG REPORTS OF SLEEP AND ACTIVITY BEHAVIORS OF PERSONS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 208
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Mental Health.
Description: The purpose of this study was to describe the sleep and activity behaviors of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) as reported by the family caregiver during a 24-hour day. The conceptual framework was derived from the Roy adaptation model.

A convenience sample of 32 family caregivers was selected from a memory disorders clinic in a southeastern state. The family caregivers completed an investigator-developed sleep/activity behavior log for 2 days. Further information was obtained from the Index of Activities of Daily Living, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, the Memory and Behavior Problem Checklist, and clinic records.

Narrative format and descriptive statistics were used to describe data obtained from the sleep/activity behavior log. Hypotheses were tested with paired t tests and correlations.

Persons with AD had a mean of 2.4 dependencies on the Index of Activities of Daily Living and a mean of 7.5 dependencies on the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale. The mean number of behavior problems on the Memory and Behavior Problem Checklist was 13.2. There was a mean score of 11.3 on the Mini-Mental State Examination.

Adaptive behaviors occurred during approximately 75% of the day. The major adaptive behaviors between the hours of 8:01 AM-8:00 PM were relaxation behaviors. Adaptive sleep behaviors were mainly concentrated between the hours of 8:01 PM-8:00 AM.

The majority of ineffective behaviors occurred between the hours of 8:01 AM and 8:00 PM. Physical repetitive behaviors were the most common ineffective behaviors and accounted for 44% of the ineffective behaviors.

There was no statistically significant difference between day 1 and day 2 in the total number of behaviors, adaptive behaviors, or ineffective behaviors. A significant relationship was found between dependencies in ADL and mental status. There was a significant relationship between the number of current behavior problems and the number of ineffective behaviors related to sleep and activity in a 24-hour day.

The Roy adaptation model provided a useful framework for the purposes and methodology of the study. The log format is recommended for use in future research studies.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-10, Section: B, page: 4780.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1990.

School code: 0005.