Scale for positive aspects of caregiving experience: development, reliability, and factor structure

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Caregiver studies
• Mental health research

Background:

• Assessing positive aspects of caregiving is crucial for understanding caregiver well-being.
• Existing instruments may not fully capture the positive experiences of caregivers for individuals with severe mental disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a new instrument, the Scale for Positive Aspects of Caregiving Experience (SPACE).
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the SPACE for primary caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders.

Main Methods:

• A 50-item questionnaire was developed based on a review of existing scales.
• 203 primary caregivers completed the questionnaire, and their responses were analyzed for internal consistency, reliability (test-retest, cross-language, split-half), and face validity.
• Principal component factor analysis was used to determine factorial validity.

Main Results:

• The SPACE demonstrated good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, cross-language reliability, split-half reliability, and face validity.
• Factor analysis revealed a robust 4-factor structure with strong inter-factor correlations.
• The scale's psychometric properties were confirmed through rigorous statistical evaluation.

Conclusions:

• The Scale for Positive Aspects of Caregiving Experience (SPACE) is a psychometrically sound instrument.
• SPACE effectively measures positive caregiving experiences in caregivers of individuals with severe mental disorders.
• The validated SPACE can be utilized in research and clinical settings to assess caregiver well-being.