The factor structure of the Burden Assessment Scale and the perceived burden of caregivers for individuals with severe mental disorders.

The aims of this study were to test the construct validity and the homogeneity of the Swedish version of the Burden Assessment Scale (BAS) and study perceived burden in daily life among family caregivers of individuals with severe mental disorders. A total of 256 caregivers took part in the study. The participants completed two questionnaires. One was the BAS, a brief scale that focuses on specific subjective and objective consequences of families caring for individuals with severe mental disorders. The other one was a questionnaire constructed for the study including demographic data. A principal component analysis yielded three factors: 'activity limitation', 'feelings of worry and guilt' and 'social strain'. The internal consistency calculated by Cronbach's alpha coefficients varied between 0.73 and 0.88 for the three factors. The findings indicated that the caregivers experienced more 'activity limitation' and 'social strain' in relation to the youngest and to those who had an elementary educational level than they did for comparison groups. There were no differences found between the caregivers in relation to clients' daily occupation outside home. The results confirm that family caregiver burden is complex and includes several areas such as activities in daily life, worry and social strain. Given this knowledge about caregivers' situation, it is critical that families be given opportunities to identify what support might help. Further research is needed to identify such support.