Validation of a Comprehensive Measure of the Family Caregiver Experience: The Caregiver Reaction Scale

ABSTRACT

Objectives

The Caregiver Reaction Scale (CRS) is a multi-dimensional measure of the family caregiving experience that assesses role conflict, challenges, and positive aspects of caregiving. The CRS has been validated in a sample of older adult caregivers who sought counseling, but its validity and reliability in a broader population of caregivers had not been established. This study aimed to explore how well the CRS assesses the multiple dimensions of the caregiving experience in a sample of family caregivers who match the national profile of caregivers and to confirm the validity and structure of the subscales.

Methods

Family caregivers (N = 452), age 18–89 (M = 48.56, SD = 17.15) were recruited online and completed the CRS and questionnaires of burden and positive aspects of caregiving. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to confirm the underlying factor structure of the CRS, and convergent and discriminant validity was examined.

Results

CFA supported the existing structure of the CRS; all subscales demonstrated very good internal consistency reliability (α ≤.88), convergent validity (r ≥.39), and discriminant validity (r ≤.12).

Conclusions

The CRS offers a valid and reliable assessment of the caregiving experience as evidenced by the convergent and discriminant validity of CRS subscales with well-validated measures of burden and positive aspects of caregiving.

Clinical Implications

The CRS assesses multiple dimensions of caregiving that can be used to better understand the caregiver’s experience, guide clinical interventions and referrals, and identify caregiver strengths.

KEYWORDS:

• assessment of informal family caregivers
• multi-dimensional caregiver assessment
• positive aspects of caregiving

Clinical implications

• The CRS is valid and useful for studies of the general population of caregivers, that broadens its use beyond what was established in the initial validation study of clinical populations.

• The CRS quickly and accurately allows caregivers to self-identify multiple dimensions of the caregiving experience that can be the focus of clinical interventions: strengths, burdens, and areas of inter- and intra-personal conflict.

• Clinicians can use a multi-dimensional tool to assess family caregivers across a range of illnesses and conditions (i.e., not limited to dementia or cognitive impairment) and in multiple family contexts (e.g., spouse, adult child).

• The information gathered from the CRS is thus useful to inform interventions, make appropriate referrals, and use tailored interventions designed to meet the caregiver’s specific needs.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Kelsey Bacharz, B.S. for assistance with data collection on this project. This material is the result of work supported with resources and the use of facilities at the Boston VA Healthcare System.

The contents do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no financial disclosures or conflicts of interest to report.