A new measure of caregiver burden in Alzheimer's disease: the caregiver-perceived burden questionnaire.
OBJECTIVE
To validate the Caregiver-Perceived Burden Questionnaire (CPBQ) and report its psychometric properties.


METHODS
The CPBQ was administered to caregivers of patients with moderate-to-severe AD in a double-blind randomized trial comparing extended-release memantine to placebo (n = 676). Measurement properties were analyzed using factor analysis, classical test theory, and Rasch analysis.


RESULTS
Two subscales were identified: the Caregivers' Assessment of the Patient (CAP) and the Caregivers' Assessment of Themselves (CAT). The reliability was .89 (CAP) and .83 (CAT). The CAP scores were significantly correlated (r > .3) with scores from the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). The CAT scores were significantly correlated with NPI scores. The CAT discriminated among patients by clinician-rated severity and significantly differentiated between responders and nonresponders.


CONCLUSIONS
The CPBQ appears to be a reliable, valid, and responsive measure that enables linking caregiver's perceptions about burden and patient function in patients with moderate-to-severe AD.
Shire Development LLC, Wayne, PA 19087, USA. herder@shire.com
M Haim
MH
Erder
Teresa K
TK
Wilcox
Wen-Hung
WH
Chen
Sean
S
O'Quinn
Juliana
J
Setyawan
Judith
J
Saxton
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires