Dyadic Archetypes of Patient Self-Care and Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care in Dyads With Multiple Chronic Conditions: An Observational Study

Abstract

Self-care of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) and caregiver contribution to self-care have been theorized as dyadic. However, the different dyadic archetypes are still unknown. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify dyadic archetypes related to how in patient–caregiver dyads manage the patient’s MCCs and to describe other ways in which the dyadic archetypes differ. A sample of 340 MCCs patient–caregiver dyads was enrolled in outpatient and community settings. Patients had a mean age of 76.7 (±7.3) years and were mostly female (54.5%). Caregivers had a mean age of 54.6 (±15.1) years and were mostly female (71.5%). Four dyadic archetypes were observed: “autonomous,” “compensatory,” “balanced,” and “complementary” care. Clinical programs should consider the different characteristics of dyads to support self-care.