Illness Perception and Psychosocial Adjustment in Brain Tumor Patients and Their Family Caregivers: An Actor-Partner...

With increasing long-term survival among brain tumor patients, greater attention has shifted to disease-related physiological and psychological challenges. This study aimed to describe illness perceptions and psychosocial adjustment in brain tumor patients and their primary caregivers; analyze dyadic actor-partner interdependence using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM); and explore how illness perception influences psychosocial adjustment within patient-caregiver dyads.

From August 2024 to March 2025, 216 brain tumor patient-caregiver dyads were recruited via convenience sampling from two tertiary hospitals in Jiangxi Province, China. Illness perceptions and psychosocial adjustment were measured using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale, respectively. APIM was employed using AMOS 24.0 to examine both actor effects (impact of an individual's illness perception on their own psychosocial adjustment) and partner effects (impact on their partner's adjustment).

Patients reported lower illness perception scores (indicating less negative perceptions of illness) compared with caregivers, while psychosocial adjustment scores were higher in patients than in caregivers. APIM revealed significant actor effects, patients' illness perceptions positively associated with their psychosocial adjustment (β = 0.594, p < 0.001), and caregivers' perceptions similarly correlated with their adjustment (β = 0.660, p < 0.001). A significant partner effect showed patients' illness perceptions positively influenced caregivers' psychosocial adjustment (β = 0.072, p < 0.05), but not vice versa. Additionally, caregiver monthly income was a significant negative predictor of caregiver psychosocial adjustment (β = -0.869, p < 0.001), indicating that higher income was associated with better psychosocial adjustment in caregivers.

These findings reveal significant interdependent psychosocial interactions between brain tumor patients and their family caregivers in the dyad. Multilevel interventions integrating dyadic psychological support with targeted economic assistance may reduce emotional distress, promote adaptive coping, and ultimately improve quality of life in neuro-oncology care.