Modeling the Relationship between Worry Processes with Symptoms of Depression and Insomnia in Caregivers of Individuals with Cancer

Disease in individual with cancer is a major source of distress for caregivers. Therefore, the aim of present study was to modeling the relationship between worry processes with symptoms of depression and insomnia in caregivers of individuals with cancer.

This study was a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population of this study included all caregivers of individuals with cancer in Mashhad city. Two hundred of caregivers of indiv iduals with cancer were selected through convenience sampling. The tools of this study include Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire (CAQ), Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), Metacognition Questionnaire (MCQ), and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II). Data were analyzed by SPSS24, using Pearson correlation test and path analysis.

The results showed that there are a significant relation between worry processes such as intolerance of uncertainty, experiential avoidance and worry about worry (meta-worry) with symptoms of depression and insomnia in caregivers of cancer patients, but there is no relationship between cognitive avoidance and symptoms of depression and insomnia. Intolerance of uncertainty, experiential avoidance and worry about worry were predictors of depression, whereas intolerance of uncertainty predicted insomnia. The modified model for predicting the symptoms of depression and insomnia in caregivers of individual with cancer based on worry processes had a good fit.

The results of this study support the role of worry processes in the symptoms of depression and insomnia in caregivers of cancer patients