title: Validity and reliability of the SF-36 administered to caregivers of patients with alzheimer's disease: evidence from a south american sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Being a caregiver of a patient with Alzheimer's disease is associated with impaired health status and declines in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This paper evaluates the reliability and validity of the Argentinean version of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) among caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients completed the SF-36, the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Patients were evaluated for dementia severity using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and for cognitive status using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SF-36 scales demonstrated adequate-to-strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha range: 0.72 to 0.92). Correlations between the SF-36 scales and the ZBI were moderate to strong (range: -0.19 to -0.79, all p < 0.01 expect for physical function). Significant correlations between the SF-36 scales and the CDR, MMSE and NPI were lower (range: -0.30 to -0.40, p < 0.001) and strongest in mental health-related scales of the SF-36. The SF-36 demonstrated good factorial validity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Argentinean translation of the SF-36 is reliable and valid for use to measure the HRQoL of caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Memory Research Center, Department of Neurology, Zubizarreta General Hospital, GCBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Machnicki
authors.forename: Ricardo F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Allegri
authors.forename: Cristina G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Ranalli
authors.forename: Cecilia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.forename: Kathleen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Wyrwich
authors.forename: Fernando E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Taragano
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013020:South America / Q000453:epidemiology