Title : The relationship between dyadic coping and mental health in stroke survivors and their spouse caregivers: An actor-partner interdependence model
Abstract:
Aim: To explore dyadic coping, mental health, and individual or mutual influences onstroke survivors and spouse caregivers.
Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from November 2019 to August 2020.
Methods: A total of 224 dyads of stroke survivors and their spouse caregivers inChina were included. The Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI), the Patient Health Questionnaire nine-item scale (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder seven-item scale (GAD-7) were used to collect data on stroke survivors and their spouse caregiver. The dyadic analysis was based on the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM).
Results: Regarding actor effects, spouse caregivers’ dyadic coping and perceiveddyadic coping had a negative predictive effect on their own anxiety (β=-0.30, P<0.01, β=-0.23, P<0.01) and depression (β=-0.41, P<0.001, β=-0.33, P<0.01). Andwefound stroke survivors’ perceived dyadic coping had a negative effect on their own depression ( β =-0.27, P<0.01). Regarding partner effects, we found that spouse caregivers’ perceived dyadic coping also had a negative predictive effect on the anxiety of the patients (β=-0.23, P<0.05). In contrast, stroke survivors’ perceived dyadic coping was positively associated with spouse caregivers’ anxiety (β=0.27, P< 0.01) and depression (β=0.22, P<0.05). These findings suggested that the mental health of stroke survivors and their spouse caregivers was affected by various dyadiccoping dimensions.
Discussion: This study provides evidence for the significant impact of dyadic coping on the psychological well-being of stroke survivors and their spouse caregivers. Therefore, dyadic interventions aimed at strengthening dyadic coping may have positive effects on their mental health.
