Measuring Self-Appraised Changes following Participation in an Intervention for Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia

ABSTRACT

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Self-Appraisal of Change Scale, a measure designed to capture domains that are subjectively relevant to caregivers, associated with overall well-being, and amenable to change upon engaging in an intervention. Data from 107 caregivers of veterans with dementia enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of a telephone-delivered caregiver psychoeducation and support group program (the Telehealth Education Program (TEP)) were analyzed. The TEP, which was delivered by master’s prepared social workers and a nurse dementia care manager, targeted caregivers’ dementia-related knowledge, attitudes, and self-management skills. Analyses were conducted to determine the factor structure, reliability, validity, and measurement invariance of the scale. Factor analyses yielded a single-factor solution for the scale’s nine items. The reliability and construct validity of the scale were also supported by the analyses. Multi-group analyses suggested that meaningful comparisons of scale items and total raw scores can be made across usual care (UC) and intervention groups. The findings offer preliminary support that the scale may represent a valid and reliable instrument that captures perceived changes in key domains (e.g. caregiving knowledge, attitudes, and skill) following participation in a psychoeducational and support intervention trial.

KEYWORDS:

• Dementia
• caregivers
• patient-centered care
• disease management
• psychosocial support systems

Acknowledgments

Data included in this study were collected as part of a study funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (Telehealth Education Program for Caregivers of Veterans with Dementia (TEP) HSR&D IIR (IIR 03-076)). This study was further supported by the VISN4 Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) and VISN 2 Center for Integrated Healthcare (VA CIH). The Department of Veterans Affairs had no role in the study design, methods, subject recruitment, data collection, analysis, or preparation of this paper. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the US government.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the VA Health Services Research & Development Service (HSR&D) [IIR 03-076].