Test-retest reliability of the PDQ-Carer.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychometrics
• Health Sciences

Background:

• The PDQ-Carer is a 29-item measure assessing health-related quality of life (QoL) for caregivers of people with Parkinson's (PwP).
• Previous studies validated its psychometric properties, including validity and internal consistency.
• Test-retest reliability, a crucial measure of stability over time, had not yet been assessed for the PDQ-Carer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the test-retest reliability of the PDQ-Carer measure.
• To determine if the PDQ-Carer provides stable QoL scores for caregivers of PwP over a two-week period.

Main Methods:

• Carers of PwP were recruited through Parkinson's UK and completed the PDQ-Carer online twice, two weeks apart.
• Participants who reported no change in their QoL between administrations were included in the final analysis.
• Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for each of the four PDQ-Carer domains.

Main Results:

• 142 carers completed the initial assessment, and 104 completed the second.
• 74 participants (71.2%) reported no change in QoL and were analyzed.
• High ICCs were found: Social and Personal Activities (.97), Anxiety and Depression (.95), Self-Care (.96), and Stress (.95).

Conclusions:

• The PDQ-Carer demonstrates sound test-retest reliability.
• The measure is stable and can be confidently used in research involving carers of people with Parkinson's.