Matarese, Maria

Objectives: To identify, analyze and synthesize qualitative studies on caregivers’ experiences of contributions to the self‐care of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Background: COPD patients perform daily self‐care behaviours to manage the disease. With aging and disease progression, patients need to rely on the contributions of informal caregivers, usually family members, for disease management. Caregivers’ normal or habitual contributions to patients’ self‐care have not yet been completely investigated.

Patients who have multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) and their informal caregivers experience poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Perceived social support has been shown to influence HRQOL. This study aimed at identifying the differences between patients' and caregivers' physical and mental HRQOL; and determining the association between their perception of social support from different sources, and their own and their dyad partner's HRQOL. Patients with MCCs and their caregivers (345 dyads) were enrolled in a multicenter cross-sectional study conducted in Italy.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the influence of anxiety and depression on the physical and mental quality of life (QoL) in patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and caregiver dyads, detect the simultaneous effect of anxiety and depression of each partner on the other’s QoL and determine the dyadic patterns. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. The actor–partner interdependence model estimated by structural equation modeling was used for the dyadic analysis.