Applied Nursing Research
Volume 22, Issue 2 , Pages 119-125, May 2009

Effects of cranial electrical stimulation on sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, and caregiving appraisal in spousal caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease☆

  • Karen M. Rose, PhD

      Affiliations

    • School of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0782, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +1 434 924 5627; fax: +1 434 982 1809.
    • ,
  • Ann Gill Taylor, MS, EdD

      Affiliations

    • School of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0782, USA
    • Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies, The Blake Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0905, USA
    • ,
  • Cheryl Bourguignon, PhD

      Affiliations

    • School of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0782, USA
    • Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies, The Blake Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0905, USA

Received 26 February 2007; received in revised form 7 June 2007; accepted 7 June 2007.

Abstract 

Purpose

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effects of cranial electrical stimulation (CES) on sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, and caregiving appraisal.

Methods

Thirty-eight participants were randomly assigned to receive active CES or sham CES for 4 weeks.

Results

Both intervention groups demonstrated improvement in study measures from baseline scores. A trend toward statistically significant differences in daily sleep disturbances was found between the groups. No differences in depressive symptoms and caregiving appraisal were found between the groups.

Conclusions

These findings did not fully support the efficacy of the short-term use of active CES versus sham CES to improve sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, or caregiving appraisal.

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☆ The contents of this work are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

PII: S0897-1897(07)00091-2

doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2007.06.001

Applied Nursing Research
Volume 22, Issue 2 , Pages 119-125, May 2009

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