Pediatric psycho-oncology in Russia: Caregiver mental health and sleep outcomes on the oncology wards.

Objectives: Caregivers are at risk of poor sleep and elevated distress during their child's cancer treatment. Russia is currently underrepresented in the international psycho-oncology field, with no identified psychosocial standards of care, and limited or inconsistent psychological service provision, particularly for caregivers. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Russian caregivers' psychological distress and identify factors associated with caregiver sleep duration when staying on the pediatric oncology ward.

Methods: We recruited 74 caregivers of children with cancer and 74 comparison caregivers in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Participants completed a survey assessing clinical outcomes, sleep (St Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire), and psychological distress (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 [DASS-21]).

Results: Caregivers of children with cancer reported significantly higher scores for all DASS-21 subscales and higher depression (48.6% vs. 24.6%), anxiety (47.3% vs. 12.3%), and stress (45.9% vs. 0%) scores from "moderate" to "extremely severe." Caregivers of children with cancer reported significantly shorter sleep duration (5.82 vs. 7.49 h, t[143] = -6.22, p = 0.002), more night-time awakenings (3.20 vs. 1.25, t[135] = 6.94, p < 0.001) and worse sleep quality (46.5% vs. 9.6%; x [1] = 24.4, p < 0.001) than comparison caregivers. Caregivers with a higher total DASS-21 score (B = -1.32, p = 0.032) and those who were closer to diagnosis (B = -1.53, p = 0.012) reported shorter sleep duration.

Conclusions: Russian caregivers of children with cancer experience high rates of psychological distress and poor sleep on the oncology ward. These findings provide an important target for future research and culturally relevant clinical interventions to improve caregivers' mental health and capacity for care.