Abstract 9906: Not All Heart Failure Patients Are Men, Not All Caregivers Are Women: Comparing Differences by Gender

Abstract

Background: Male patients with female caregivers are well represented in dyadic HF research. However, patient-caregiver dyads that are all male, all female, or female patients with male caregivers are not well described. Aim: Compare self-care, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics of patient-caregiver dyads based on the genders of dyad members. Methods: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study of patient-caregiver dyads (n=277) using the Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care of HF Index (CC-SCHFI) v2. Dyads were grouped by Patient-Caregiver gender: Male patient-Female caregiver, Female patient-Male caregiver, Female-Female, and Male-Male. Self-care was assessed using the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index and the matching CC-SCHFI. Standardized scores for both indexes range from 0-100 points; higher scores equal better self-care. Characteristics of dyad gender groups (comorbidities, HF duration, NYHA functional class, quality of life (QOL), age, marriage, habitation status, and length and type of caregiving relationship) were compared using chi-square, ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis equality-of-populations rank tests. Results: Female caregivers of male patients were typically spouses (48%), whereas the majority of caregivers in other dyads were adult children/children-in-law (63-73%). Female patients cared for by female caregivers were older, not married and had worse physical QOL. Male and female caregivers of similar gender patients were younger (47.3±14.0 and 47.7±12.1), less likely to live with the patient and spent the fewest number of hours/day caregiving. Patients in these dyads were more likely to live alone and male patients had the lowest self-care monitoring (48.2±20.1 vs 59.2±18.3 for male patients with female caregivers, p =.06). Males caring for female patients had the lowest contribution to self-care maintenance (63.3±20.3, p =.04) and lower contributions to self-care monitoring, management, and self-efficacy. Conclusion: Patient-caregiver dyads of similar and mixed genders differ across a number of self-care, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics. Results suggest that dyad members’ genders may need to be considered in clinical and research practice.