Alzheimer's disease: usefulness of the Family Strain Questionnaire and the Screen for Caregiver Burden in the study of caregiving-related problems.
OBJECTIVE
The economic and psychosocial impacts of Alzheimer's disease (AD) on caregivers are so well documented that they have stimulated socioeconomic regulations that are international in scope. In Italy caregivers have the right to receive economic and psychosocial aid. However, to distribute such aid the needs of caregivers, must be properly assessed. Here we have attempted to integrate two measures, the Family Strain Questionnaire (FSQ) and the Screen for Caregiver Burden (SCB), in order to evaluate caregiver needs that are both general and specific to AD.


METHODS
The SCB and FSQ were administered to 91 primary caregivers of home-based patients with AD. Caregivers also were asked to rate the activities of daily living of their care recipients, the latter of which were administered the Mini-Mental State Examination.


RESULTS
The SCB and FSQ provide different, but complementary assessments of the needs of AD caregivers. The SCB identifies situations that are potentially stressful to AD caregivers and the FSQ identifies the needs of specific caregivers (e.g. men vs women, spouses vs children, unemployed vs employed).


CONCLUSIONS
Together these measures may help government agencies to assess caregiver needs beyond those assessed by each individual measure.
Ferrario
Silvia Rossi
SR
Psychology Unit, S. Maugeri Foundation, IRCCS, Scientific Institute of Veruno, Veruno, Italy. sferrario@fsm.it
Vitaliano
Peter
P
Zotti
Anna Maria
AM
Galante
Emanuela
E
Fornara
Roberta
R
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012144:Respite Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires