A Visualization Tool to Study Dyadic Caregiving Health Profiles

Abstract

Objectives Guided by a life course perspective and fundamental cause theory, this study aims to visualize co-trajectories of health between partners and examine how changes in one spouse’s cognitive status can cohesively impact the health of the other spouse along three dimensions (functional, mental, and cognitive). Methods Drawing longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study 2000–2016 ( N = 3582), we measure women’s health profiles by functional limitation (physical health), depression (mental health), and cognitive function (cognitive health). We use multivariate linear mixed models to summarize these paths in the same visual representation. Results The approach provides a visualization tool that depicts data and model in the same spatial representation allowing assessment of model fit and comparison. This study advances the traditional life course studies by representing underlying processes as a multidimensional time vector of health outcomes. Discussion The described approach provides a blueprint for studying complex health profiles or trajectories.