An Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model for Assessing the Association Between Dyadic Coping and Post-traumatic Growth in Dyads of Patients With Stroke and Their Spouses: Cross-Sectional Study

Objective This study aims to explore the dyadic associations between dyadic and post-traumatic growth in dyads of patients with stroke and their spouses, and the mediating role of intimate relationships in these associations. Design A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from October 2023 to May 2024. Methods This study adopted a purpose-sampling method. A total of 215 stroke patients and their spouses from a tertiary hospital in China were selected as study subjects. The General Information Questionnaire, Dyadic Coping Inventory, Marital Adjustment and Prediction Test, and Post-traumatic Growth Inventory were used; the data were analyzed using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model. Results The results showed that the dyadic coping of stroke patients and their spouses was significantly related to intimate relationships and post-traumatic growth. In addition, the dyadic coping of stroke patients and their spouses had significant actor effects and partner effects on the post-traumatic growth through intimate relationships. Conclusions The dyadic coping of stroke patients and their spouses could produce actor and partner effects on the post-traumatic growth through the mediation of intimate relationships, which provided empirical support for improving the level of post-traumatic growth among patients and spouses at the dyadic level.