Mariacruz Crespo-Maraver1, Eduardo Doval2, Jordi Fernández-Castro3, Jordi Giménez-Salinas4, Gemma Prat4, Pere Bonet4. 1. División de Salud Mental, Grupo SaMIS, Fundació Althaia de Manresa - Xarxa Assistencial i Universitària de Manresa, Manresa (Barcelona), España; Departamento de Psicología Básica, Evolutiva y de la Educación, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona), España. Electronic address: mcrespo@althaia.cat. 2. Departamento de Psicobiología y de Metodología en Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona), España. 3. Departamento de Psicología Básica, Evolutiva y de la Educación, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona), España. 4. División de Salud Mental, Grupo SaMIS, Fundació Althaia de Manresa - Xarxa Assistencial i Universitària de Manresa, Manresa (Barcelona), España.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To adapt and to validate the Experience of Caregiving Inventory (ECI) in a Spanish population, providing empirical evidence of its internal consistency, internal structure and validity. METHOD: Psychometric validation of the adapted version of the ECI. One hundred and seventy-two caregivers (69.2% women), mean age 57.51 years (range: 21-89) participated. Demographic and clinical data, standardized measures (ECI, suffering scale of SCL-90-R, Zarit burden scale) were used. The two scales of negative evaluation of the ECI most related to serious mental disorders (disruptive behaviours [DB] and negative symptoms [NS]) and the two scales of positive appreciation (positive personal experiences [PPE], and good aspects of the relationship [GAR]) were analyzed. Exploratory structural equation modelling was used to analyze the internal structure. The relationship between the ECI scales and the SCL-90-R and Zarit scores was also studied. RESULTS: The four-factor model presented a good fit. Cronbach's alpha (DB: 0.873; NS: 0.825; PPE: 0.720; GAR: 0.578) showed a higher homogeneity in the negative scales. The SCL-90-R scores correlated with the negative ECI scales, and none of the ECI scales correlated with the Zarit scale. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the ECI can be considered a valid, reliable, understandable and feasible self-report measure for its administration in the health and community context.
OBJECTIVE: To adapt and to validate the Experience of Caregiving Inventory (ECI) in a Spanish population, providing empirical evidence of its internal consistency, internal structure and validity. METHOD: Psychometric validation of the adapted version of the ECI. One hundred and seventy-two caregivers (69.2% women), mean age 57.51 years (range: 21-89) participated. Demographic and clinical data, standardized measures (ECI, suffering scale of SCL-90-R, Zarit burden scale) were used. The two scales of negative evaluation of the ECI most related to serious mental disorders (disruptive behaviours [DB] and negative symptoms [NS]) and the two scales of positive appreciation (positive personal experiences [PPE], and good aspects of the relationship [GAR]) were analyzed. Exploratory structural equation modelling was used to analyze the internal structure. The relationship between the ECI scales and the SCL-90-R and Zarit scores was also studied. RESULTS: The four-factor model presented a good fit. Cronbach's alpha (DB: 0.873; NS: 0.825; PPE: 0.720; GAR: 0.578) showed a higher homogeneity in the negative scales. The SCL-90-R scores correlated with the negative ECI scales, and none of the ECI scales correlated with the Zarit scale. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the ECI can be considered a valid, reliable, understandable and feasible self-report measure for its administration in the health and community context.