[Perceived stress caused by informal caregiving. Construction of a scale]

We hypothesize that 'self-perceived pressure from informal care' is an important result of the appraisal process of caregivers. This pressure refers to the demands of the caregiving situation in comparison with the personal interests of the caregiver. For the measurement of this 'Self-Perceived Pressure from Informal Care' of informal caregivers of demented elderly (N = 167) a 9-item Rasch scale (SPPIC) was developed with a satisfying Index of Subject Separation (.66) and reliability (Rho = .79). Findings revealed that 'Self-Perceived Pressure from Informal Care' is one dimension which varies from less to more pressure. Perceived pressure did not differ for male and female caregivers, and for spouse and non-spouse caregivers. The associations of perceived pressure with the psychological and psychosocial complaints of the caregivers and with the stressors in the caregiving situation support the validity of the SPPIC (Pearson r = .26 - .53). This questionnaire can be used in research on the development of psychological complaints of caregivers, but also for measuring the effect of an intervention on caregivers.