Tolerating Uncertainty in the Dark: Insomnia Symptoms, Distress, and Well-Being Among Parents of Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer

Background Given the need to better understand mechanisms linking poor sleep and psychological distress in the context of chronic illness, we explored a novel factor, intolerance of uncertainty (IU), in relation to insomnia among parents of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. We hypothesized that parents with higher IU would report greater insomnia symptoms, which would be associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms. These greater levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms are hypothesized to mediate the relationship between insomnia symptoms and subjective well-being (SWB). Method Surveying 59 parents of AYAs with cancer, we computed a parallel-serial mediational analysis using bootstrapping techniques for ordinary least squares regression to test two pathways (adjusting for whether the AYA currently resided with the parent). The first serial pathway was IU→insomnia symptoms→anxiety symptoms→SWB. The second pathway was IU→insomnia symptoms→depressive symptoms→SWB. Results Although the first pathway involving sleep and anxiety as serial mediators was nonsignificant, the second pathway with sleep and depressive symptoms was significant. The relationship between IU and SWB was mediated through insomnia and depressive symptoms. An alternative serial mediation analysis wherein depressive symptoms preceded sleep was not significant, lending support to study findings. Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence that IU’s detrimental influence on depression and SWB may operate through its influence on insomnia symptoms. Given implications for parents’ well-being and, likely, their subsequent capacity to care for the AYA with cancer, interventions addressing IU and disturbed sleep among this underserved population deserve attention.