Association between stigma and quality of life among chronic refractory wounds patients and informal caregivers: an actor-partner interdependence model analysis

The co-occurrence of health impairments in patients and their informal caregivers may be particularly common in intimate care settings in China. Patients with Chronic Refractory Wounds (CRWs) and their informal caregivers constitute a dyad and exhibit dyadic effects during the caring process. Unfortunately, no study has yet explored the dyadic effects of stigma on the QoL of patients with CRWs and their caregivers.

We used a convenience sampling method and recruited CRWs patient-caregiver dyads (N = 207) in China between April 2022 and October 2023.

We found that: (i) dyadic members experience varying degrees of stigma; (ii) the actor–partner effect of CRWs patients’ stigma on their own and their informal caregivers’ QoL was significant (Path A₁: β = − 1.27, Path A₂: β = − 0.37, Path P₁: β = − 0.08, Path P₂: β = − 0.18); (iii) informal caregivers’ stigma adversely affects both their own and their patients’ psychological QoL((Path A₄: β = − 0.65, Path P₄: β = − 0.52)). Informal caregivers’ stigma can negatively impact patients’ physical QoL (Path P₃: β = − 0.17), whereas it does not significantly affect their own physical QoL.

There is a notable actor–partner effect of the CRWs patients’ stigma on their own and their informal caregivers’ QoL. CRWs patients’ stigma should become a priority for the government to improve CRWs patients’ and informal caregivers’ QoL. Besides, health professionals should be addressing several assessments and interventions to decrease informal caregivers’ affiliate stigma symptoms and improve CRWs patients’ and informal caregivers’ QoL.