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.