Article

OBJECTIVE: To compare the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Strain Index
Expanded with those of the original Caregiver Strain Index among partners of
stroke patients. SUBJECTS: Cross-sectional validation study among 173
caregivers of stroke patients six months post-stroke. MAIN MEASURES: OUTCOME
MEASURE: Caregiver Strain Index Expanded. Reference measures: Hospital Anxiety
and Depression Scale, two questions on life satisfaction, Barthel Index and
Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Additionally, National Institutes of Health Stroke
Scale. RESULTS: Neither the Caregiver Strain Index Expanded nor the original
Caregiver Strain Index showed floor or ceiling effects. The sum score of the
positive items showed a ceiling effect and was skewed to the right (2.20).
Principal component analysis revealed no clear underlying item clustering. Alpha
values of the Caregiver Strain Index Expanded and the original Caregiver Strain
Index were good (0.82 and 0.83), but the alpha value of the positive subscale of
the Caregiver Strain Index Expanded was too low (0.51). Convergent validity was
confirmed for the Caregiver Strain Index Expanded, the original Caregiver Strain
Index and the positive subscale. The Caregiver Strain Index Expanded and the
original Caregiver Strain Index showed nearly identical correlations with the
reference measures. Negative caregiving experiences were more strongly related to
partners' mood and life satisfaction than positive caregiving experiences. In the
regression analyses, the positive subscale showed little added value in
predicting partners' mood and life satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The addition of five
positively phrased items does not improve the psychometric properties of the
Caregiver Strain Index.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2015.

Langue : ANGLAIS