Network Analysis of Treatment Burden and Coping Styles in Older Adults with Multimorbidity

FENG Xinlin; HU Qin; HE Caiyun; TANG Qi; CHEN Yajie; JING Baowei; LIU Jiahao; LONG Qiuju

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Journal of Hunan Normal University(Medical Science) ›› 2026, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (3) : 175-180.

Nursing Science

Network Analysis of Treatment Burden and Coping Styles in Older Adults with Multimorbidity

FENG Xinlin¹, HU Qin², HE Caiyun¹, TANG Qi¹, CHEN Yajie¹, JING Baowei¹, LIU Jiahao¹, LONG Qiuju¹

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Abstract

Objective To explore the complex network of relationships between treatment burden and coping styles among older adults with multimorbidity, identify key nodes, and provide references for effectively reducing their treatment burden. Methods A total of 505 older adults with chronic multimorbidity were selected and surveyed using the Treatment Burden Questionnaire and the Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire. The R software (version 4.5.2) was used to assess the network structure, node centrality, and the stability of the results. Results The average treatment burden score for the older adults with multimorbidity was 99.22±22.42, and the average coping style score was 44.99±4.94. Network analysis revealed the strongest edge between resignation coping showed the strongest correlation with medication burden (r=0.21). Healthcare-related Lifestyle Burden had the highest centrality indices: strength (Str=1.277), betweenness (Bet=6), and closeness (Clo=0.032). Conclusion Network analysis reveals that Healthcare-related Lifestyle Burden is the central node within the treatment burden network, while Resignation Coping acts as a key bridge connecting treatment burden to coping styles. Clinical interventions should prioritize alleviating patients' lifestyle-related burdens and guide them towards reducing resigned coping and increasing confrontative coping to effectively mitigate the overall treatment burden.

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older adults / multimorbidity / treatment burden / coping styles / network analysis

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FENG Xinlin, HU Qin, HE Caiyun, TANG Qi, CHEN Yajie, JING Baowei, LIU Jiahao, LONG Qiuju. Network Analysis of Treatment Burden and Coping Styles in Older Adults with Multimorbidity[J]. Journal of Hunan Normal University(Medical Science). 2026, 23(3): 175-180

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