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BMC Geriatrics
Published in: BMC Geriatrics 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

Subjective caregiver burden: validity of the 10-item short version of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers BSFC-s

Authors: Elmar Graessel, Hendrik Berth, Thomas Lichte, Hannes Grau

Published in: BMC Geriatrics | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

Subjective burden is a central variable describing the situation encountered by family caregivers. The 10-item short version of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers (BSFC-short/BSFC-s) was developed to provide an economical measure of this variable. The present study examined the reliability and validity of the BSFC-s.

Methods

Comprehensive data from “the IDA project” were the basis of the calculations, which included 351 dyads and examined medical data on people with dementia, interview data from their family caregivers, and health insurance data. A factor analysis was performed to explore the structure of the BSFC-s; Cronbach’s alpha was used to evaluate the internal consistency of the scale. The items were analyzed to determine the item difficulty and the discriminatory power. Construct validity was tested with five hypotheses. To establish the predictive validity of the BSFC-s, predictors of institutionalization at a follow-up time of 2.5 years were analyzed (binary logistic regression).

Results

The BSFC-s score adhered to a one-factor structure. Cronbach's alpha for the complete scale was .92. A significant increase in the BSFC-s score was observed when dementia progressed, disturbing behavior occurred more frequently, care requirements increased, and when caregivers were diagnosed with depression. Caregiver burden was the second strongest predictor of institutionalization out of a total of four significant predictors.

Conclusions

All hypotheses that referred to the construct validity were supported. The BSFC-short with its ten items is a very economical instrument for assessing the caregiver’s total subjective burden in a short time frame. The BSFC-s score has predictive validity for the institutionalization of people with dementia. Therefore it is an appropriate outcome measure to evaluate caregiver interventions. The scale is available for free in 20 languages (http://​www.​caregiver-burden.​eu). This availability facilitates the comparison of international research findings.

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Metadata
Title
Subjective caregiver burden: validity of the 10-item short version of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers BSFC-s
Authors
Elmar Graessel
Hendrik Berth
Thomas Lichte
Hannes Grau
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Geriatrics / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2318
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2318-14-23

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