Effect of Dyadic Care Types on Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Relationship in Coronary Heart Disease Caring Dyads: A Moderated Mediation Model.

This study aimed to validate the knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) model in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients and their family caregivers, and examine the moderating role of dyadic care types. Data were collected from 281 patient-caregiver dyads, and moderated mediation models were constructed. In both patients and caregivers, knowledge and attitudes had significant direct effects on disease management practices, with attitudes partially mediating the knowledge-practice relationship. Among the four dyadic care types (patient-oriented, caregiver-oriented, collaborative, and incongruent), incongruent dyads showed a significantly stronger direct effect of patients' knowledge on their self-management practices (β = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.4, 1.49) than congruent configurations. Conversely, incongruent dyads significantly weakened the association between caregivers' knowledge and their health attitudes (β = -0.32, 95% CI: -0.60, -0.03), and reduced the impact of caregivers' knowledge on caregiving practices (β = -0.99, 95% CI: -1.53, -0.44). These findings emphasize the need for tailored health education and interventions based on specific dyadic interaction types.