Abstract: Objective: To explore the metamemory status, types, and influencing factors among family caregivers of hospitalized neurocritical patients, and provide a basis for developing targeted caregiver support programs. Methods: We used convenience sampling to select 300 family caregivers of neurocritical inpatients in a tertiary grade A hospital in Chongqing from November 2023 to April 2024. We conducted a survey using a general information questionnaire, the Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ), the Chinese Auditory Verbal Learning Test, the Coping and Adaption Processing Scale, the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The MMQ's three subscales were used as clustering variables for clustering. Logistic regression analyzed each factor's influence on different types. Results: Caregivers' average metamemory total score was 107.74±27.21. Cluster analysis divided metamemory into three types: global adaptation type (32.3%), strategy activation type (24.3%), and memory compromise type (43.3%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that caregivers' episodic memory, coping adaptability, anxious mood, occupational status, and chronic disease status were influencing factors of metamemory types (P<0.05). Conclusion: Family caregivers of hospitalized neurocritical patients have above-average memory satisfaction and self-evaluation of memory ability, but poor overall memory strategy use. There is high heterogeneity among the three metamemory types based on cluster analysis. Healthcare providers can develop targeted caregiver support programs according to distinct metamemory characteristics.

Key words: neurocritical; family caregiver; metamemory; cluster analysis