A method of selecting components for use in water-absorbing pressure-sensitiveadhesive compositions is provided. The method involves selecting a film-forming polymer, a ladder-like non-covalent crosslinker that is capable offorming a ladder-like interpolymer complex with the film-forming polymerselected, and selecting a carcass-like non-covalent crosslinker that iscapable of forming a carcass-like complex with at least one of the film-forming polymer selected or the ladder-like non-covalent crosslinker selected.The adhesive hydrogels provide high adhesion in a swollen state and bridge thegap between conventional pressure sensitive adhesives and bioadhesives.Methods for preparing and using the resulting compositions are also disclosed.
