Validity and reliability of Turkish Caregiver Burden Scale among family caregivers of haemodialysis patients

Abstract

Aims and objectives: To investigate the validity and reliability of the Caregiver Burden Scale in family members who provide primary care for haemodialysis patients.

Background: In Turkey, there is a need for a multi-dimensional instrument to evaluate the caregiver burden in people who provide care for patients with chronic diseases.

Design: A methodological study.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 161 family members who provide primary care for haemodialysis patients. The forward-backward translation method was used to develop the Turkish Caregiver Burden Scale. The reliability was based on internal consistency investigated by Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation. The factorial construct validity of the scale was tested with confirmatory factor analysis. By means of convergent and divergent validity, correlation between Caregiver Burden Scale and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and correlation between Caregiver Burden Scale and the Maslach Burnout Scale were investigated.

Results: Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlations results suggested that there was good internal reliability. We found five underlying factors similar to original Scale's five-factor solution. The confirmatory factor analysis five-factor model represented an acceptable fit. Factor loadings were significant, with standardised loadings ranging from 0·43-0·81. By means of divergent validity, all sub-dimension scores and the total score of the Caregiver Burden Scale were negatively correlated with the SF-36, whereas there was a positive correlation with the emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation subscales of the Maslach Burnout Scale as expected.

Conclusion: These results suggest that the Caregiver Burden Scale is a reliable and valid instrument which can be used with confidence in Turkish caregivers for haemodialysis patients to screen caregiver burden.

Relevance to clinical practice: The burden experienced by people who provide care for patients with chronic diseases can be evaluated with the Caregiver Burden Scale. Additionally, the Caregiver Burden Scale can be used in the evaluation of the effectiveness of attempts to decrease caregiver burden.

Keywords: caregiver burden; end-stage renal disease; haemodialysis; nursing; reliability; validity.