THEORETICAL AND PSYCHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF CAREGIVER STRAIN

The purpose of the study was to establish the validity and reliability of an instrument for the measurement of caregiver strain, the Parent Caregiver Strain Questionnaire (PCSQ), with data from 283 adult childr en who were providing care to a neurologically impaired patient. Princ ipal axis factor analysis of data rotated to an oblimin solution revea led five well-defined, first-order factors that explained 59% of the t otal variance in caregiver strain. The five-factors were interrelated with caregiver strain as theoretically predicted. Coefficient alphas f or the five factors were in the range from .74 to .93. The findings pr ovide beginning evidence of the adequacy of the PCSQ, and favor contin ued investigation into the theoretical and psychometric properties of the instrument. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.