Association between Mutuality and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patient-Caregiver Dyads Living with Schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Although caregivers are a crucial support in the recovery of patients with schizophrenia, little is known about how mutuality is related to health-related quality of life within the dyadic (patient and caregiver) context. This study aimed to investigate the dyadic relationship between mutuality and health-related quality of life in patients with schizophrenia and caregivers.


METHODS
A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with a sample of 133 dyads of patients with schizophrenia and caregivers. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, Pearson's product-moment correlations, and the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.


RESULTS
Mutuality of patients was significantly higher than that of caregivers. Compared with caregivers, patients had significantly lower total scores for health-related quality of life. Patients' and caregivers' mutuality was related to their own health-related quality of life (actor effect) and their partners' health-related quality of life (partner effect).


CONCLUSION
Mutuality plays a critical role in health-related quality of life in dyads of patients with schizophrenia and caregivers. Viewing a dyad as a unit of nursing care reveals a promising approach for developing recovery-oriented modalities targeted at stimulating mutuality that may enhance health-related quality of life for both patients and caregivers.
['Hsiao|Chiu-Yueh|CY|0000-0002-1537-8052', 'Lu|Huei-Lan|HL|', 'Tsai|Yun-Fang|YF|0000-0002-2148-314X']
D017028:Caregivers D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D006801:Humans D011788:Quality of Life D012559:Schizophrenia D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
mutuality health-related quality of life schizophrenia actor–partner interdependence model patient–caregiver dyads