Latent profiles of future care preparation among older adults with stroke and associations with filial responsibility expectations

Aim: To identify latent categories of future care preparation in older adults with stroke and analyze their relation to filial responsibility expectations and influencing factors. Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive exploratory design with the STROBE reporting checklist was applied. Methods: Convenience sampling was employed to select 414 older adults with stroke from the neurology, geriatrics, and rehabilitation departments of a Grade A tertiary hospital in Hubei Province, China, between July and December 2025. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Preparedness for Future Care Needs Scale (PFCN-14), and the Filial Responsibility Expectations Scale (FRS). Latent profile analysis was conducted using the scores from the four dimensions of the PFCN-14 as manifest variables, and statistical analysis was performed using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Latent profile analysis identified three potential categories of future care preparation: the low FCP-high avoidance group (17.8%), the moderate FCP-low planning group (45.2%), and the high FCP-moderate avoidance group (37.0%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that lower levels of filial responsibility expectations, younger age (60-79 years old), female gender, and close intergenerational relationships were significant influencing factors for patients' classification into the high FCP-moderate avoidance group. Conclusion: This study found three future care preparation categories in older adults with stroke, showing differences in preparedness and avoidance. Formulating interventions requires considering each category's physiological and psychosocial traits. Healthcare professionals should tailor strategies to boost patients' future care preparation ability and willingness. Impact: Healthcare professionals should early identify patients in different preparedness categories, especially the low FCP-high avoidance group. Implement family-collaborative interventions, respecting patients' wishes, to guide gradual future care preparation. Transform traditional filial piety into supportive resources to boost effectiveness and feasibility.