The associations of dyadic coping strategies with caregiver’s willingness to care and burden: A weekly diary study

This weekly diary study investigated associations of weekly dyadic coping strategies with caregivers’ willingness to care and burden. Multilevel modelling was applied to assess between- and within-person associations for 24 consecutive weeks in 955 caregivers. Greater willingness to care was reported in weeks when caregivers used more collaborative (b=0.26, p<0.001) and supportive (b=0.30, p<0.001) strategies, whereas uninvolved coping was associated with lower willingness to care (b=−0.44, p<0.001). Using
collaborative coping strategies was associated with lower weekly burden (b=−0.13, p<0.001). A greater burden was reported in weeks when caregivers used more uninvolved (b=0.19, p<0.001) and controlling (b=0.13, p<0.001) coping strategies. A full understanding of whether caregivers’ willingness to care and burden may be improved owing to weekly dyadic coping is essential for developing timely support for caregivers.