PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE CAREGIVER BURDEN INVENTORY WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT CAREGIVERS

摘要

Existing studies of burden associated with caring for cognitively impaired older adults have centered on dementia caregivers. Characterizing burden experienced by caregivers to older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is critical as this may provide early indication of need for caregiver intervention and support. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), a multi-dimensional caregiver inventory, in a sample of caregivers to patients diagnosed with MCI. Participant recruitment occurred through collaborative partnership between the University of Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Wayne State University Institute of Gerontology. Participants included 109 caregivers (51.3% women, 62.4% spousal caregiver, Mage = 68.8 ± 11.6 years) to patients diagnosed with MCI as part of a longitudinal cohort study. Cronbach’s alpha (.778 - .858) was acceptable across CBI subscales. Principal Components Analysis with promax rotation identified a five factor structure (Emotional/Social Wellbeing, Time-Dependence, Physical Health, Expectations, Relationship Strain) which explained 72.0% of the variance and partially deviated from original CBI dimensions. Results suggest that the CBI may be a valid measure of the MCI caregiver’s experience of burden. The newly emerged constructs— “expectations of the future” and “relationship strain”—are relevant to caregivers intervening in the early phase of cognitive impairment. Future directions include additional CBI validation with confirmatory factor analysis in a separate MCI caregiver sample.