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Patient self-care and caregiver contribution to patient self-care of chronic conditions : What is dyadic and what it is not
De Maria, Maddalena Ausili, Davide Lorini, Silvia Vellone, Ercole Riegel, Barbara Matarese, Maria
De Maria, Maddalena
Ausili, Davide
Lorini, Silvia
Vellone, Ercole
Riegel, Barbara
Matarese, Maria
Abstract
Objectives
Self-care of chronic conditions involves both patients and their informal caregivers and therefore might be considered as a dyadic phenomenon. Nevertheless, empirical evidence supporting a dyadic construct is unavailable. This study aimed to explore the existence of a dyadic construct in self-care maintenance, monitoring, and management in patients affected by chronic conditions and their informal caregivers.
Methods
This study used a cross-sectional design. We used the Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory and the Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory, which measure patient self-care and informal caregivers’ contribution to self-care maintenance, monitoring and management. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling was performed to verify the existence of dyadic latent constructs in each scale in patients and informal caregivers.
Results
A convenience sample of 493 patients and informal caregivers, with a mean age of 76.47 and 52.76 years, respectively, was studied. In the self-care maintenance scales, 2 correlated factors (r = 0.34, P < .001) were identified, indicating the presence of a dyadic second-order construct. In addition, 2 factors that were not correlated (r = 0.11, P = .064) were identified in the self-care monitoring scales, indicating the absence of a dyadic construct. Finally, we found a 3-factor model in the self-care management scales composed of both patient and caregiver items, indicating a dyadic first-order construct.
Conclusions
Knowing which care behaviors are dyadic in chronic conditions is important for tailoring interventions to improve self-care. Self-care maintenance and management would benefit from dyadic interventions, while self-care monitoring would not. The results of this study may illuminate future theoretical and scientific developments in dyadic care of chronic illness.
Keywords
caregiver contribution, chronic conditions, dyad, self-care
Date
2022
Type
Journal article
Journal
Value in Health
Book
Volume
25
Issue
7
Page Range
1165-1173
Article Number
ACU Department
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled