Development and Validation of the Dementia Caregiver Burden Scale: A Tool for Community-Dwelling Dementia Caregiver

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background The number of patients with dementia increases rapidly in aging populations. Dementia is an irreversible disease that causes a patient to be dependent on others' care and also causes family caregivers to experience difficulties in multiple domains. Purpose In this study, a dementia caregiver's burden scale that addresses family caregivers' characteristics and caring environments was developed and validated. Methods In-depth interviews with nine caregivers were conducted to identify the attributes of perceived burden and establish preliminary questions. Content validity was confirmed by seven experts using the item content validity index and scale content validity index/average. Construct validity, criterion-related validity, and reliability were verified using data from 205 primary caregivers of patients with dementia. Results Exploratory factor analysis revealed that five factors, including physical health deterioration, responsibility and role of caregiver, emotional distress, medical expense concerns, and family conflict, and 24 items explained 68.6% of the total variance. The calculated Cronbach's α for the overall scale was .96. Conclusions The scale developed in this study may be used to measure the burden perceived by family caregivers of patients with dementia in the physical, emotional, social, financial, and situational domains. Also, the scale may be used to guide the development of tailored interventions that take into consideration different family caregiver and caring situation-related characteristics.