RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PERCEIVED STRESS, SLEEP …

RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PERCEIVED STRESS, SLEEP QUALITY, AND DIURNAL CORTISOL IN ENDOMETRIAL CANCER PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY

By SALLY ELIZABETH JENSEN

A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2005

Copyright 2005 by

Sally Elizabeth Jensen

To Fiona Jensen

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank Dr. Deidre Pereira for her mentorship, support, and guidance from the conceptualization of this study to its current form. Her passion for psychosomatic research has been inspiring and kept this project afloat despite numerous obstacles. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the Psycho-Oncology Laboratory at the University of Florida (UF), including Ms. Lauren Yuill, Ms. Natalie Cross, Ms. Brandi Lehman, Ms. Melanie Moore, and Ms. HaNa Kim, for their involvement in this study. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Dr. Linda Morgan, Dr. Daylene Ripley, Dr. Shireen Madani, Ms. Inslee Baldwin, and all of the residents in the UF & Shands Division of Gynecologic Oncology for their support of this research; Dr. Shawn Kneipp, of the University of Florida College of Nursing, and Ms. Lauren Vazquez of the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology for their patient guidance and instruction in conducting salivary cortisol assays; Dr. Sandra Sephton of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Louisville for her consultation on circadian disruption in cancer; and Dr. Michael Robinson and Dr. Michael Marsiske of the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology for their consultation on statistical analyses. I would also like to acknowledge the members of my supervisory committee (Dr. James Johnson, Dr. Michael Robinson, and Dr. Shelley Heaton).

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I would also like to thank my family, friends, and classmates for their support, encouragement, and (most important) assistance with stress management during the course of the thesis process.

Finally, last but not least, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the women who participated in this research.

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