Objectives: Little is known about the interdependence of psychological distress among patients with decompensated cirrhosis (DC) and their caregivers.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study we examined the interdependence of psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) among 127 patient-caregiver dyads using Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling.
Results: Among dyads, 26% had both partners reporting clinically significant anxiety and 18% reporting clinically significant depression. Caregiver anxiety significantly predicted patient depression (β=0.20, p=0.02).
Conclusions: Psychological distress was prevalent and interdependent among dyads. These results underscore the need to develop interventions to reduce psychological distress in both patients with DC and their caregivers.
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