Psychometric properties of the Valued Living Questionnaire Adapted to Dementia Caregiving

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Caring for a relative with dementia is associated with physical and emotional health problems in caregivers. There are no studies analysing the role of personal values in the caregiver stress process.

This study aims to analyse the psychometric properties of the Valued Living Questionnaire Adapted to Caregiving (VLQAC), and to explore the relationship between personal values and stressors, coping strategies and caregiver distress.

Method: A total of 253 individual interviews with caregivers of relatives with dementia were conducted, and the following variables were assessed: personal values, stressors, cognitive fusion, emotional acceptance, depression, anxiety, and satisfaction with life. An exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression analyses were carried out.

Results: Two factors were obtained, Commitment to Own Values and Commitment to Family Values which explain 43.42% of variance, with reliability coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) of .76 and .61, respectively. Personal values had a significant effect on emotional distress (depression and anxiety) and satisfaction with life, even when controlling for socio-demographic variables, stressors and coping strategies.

Conclusion: Results suggest that the personal values construct of dementia caregivers is two-dimensional. The personal values of the caregivers play an important role in accounting for distress and satisfaction with life in this population.

KEYWORDS:

• Caregivers
• dementia
• values
• assessment
• acceptance and commitment therapy

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Brian P. O'Connor for assistance with statistical analysis. We thank all the caregivers for their participation in the study and also the following centres for collaborating with us in the project: Fundación Cien, Fundación María Wolff, Centros de día Vitalia, Centro de Salud General Ricardos, Centro de Salud García Noblejas, Centro de Salud Benita de Ávila, Centro de Salud Vicente Muzas, Centro Reina Sofía de Cruz Roja, Unidad de Memoria de Cantoblanco, Servicio de Neurología del Hospital La Paz, Asociación de Familiares de Alzheimer de Alcorcón, Instituto de Familia de la Universidad CEU San Pablo, Centro de Psicología Aplicada de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and Servicios Sociales de Getafe.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [grant number PSI2009-08132] and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [grant number PSI2012-31293].