title: [Gains associated with caring for people with dementia: an Spanish adaptation of the GAIN scale].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this research is to translate and validate the GAIN scale into Spanish, and test its relationship with a set of variables related to caregivers and the caregiving situation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Responses to a sociodemographic questionnaire and to the GAIN scale were obtained from a sample made up of 140 caregivers of people with dementia. In order to analyze the psychometric properties of the scale, its reliability and factorial structure were tested, and the contribution of every single item to its internal consistency was estimated, as well as their standard deviation and their discrimination index. Descriptive procedures were performed to examine the responses of the caregivers to the different items of the scale, and their overall score on this. The relationship between this variable and their age, sex, marital status, educational level, religiosity and health status was also determined, along with the length of the care provided and the number of hours per day and days per week devoted to it, as well as the type of relationship existing between caregiver and care receiver.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The GAIN scale proved to be unidimensional, and showed a high reliability (Cronbach's Alpha=.872). This value did not improve by eliminating any of its items. Almost all the items reached high discrimination indexes (>.50) and a high standard deviation (>1). The mean score on the scale was 28.10 (range from 0 to 40), and 96.4% of the caregivers ascribed at least one gain to their role. Scores on the scale were not significantly associated with any of the studied variables, except caregivers' religiosity, suggesting that those caregivers with more intense religious feelings might find more gains in their role.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gains appear to be a common experience among most caregivers, and the psychometric properties of the validated version of the GAIN scale suggest that it constitutes a suitable instrument for their evaluation.
authors: Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, España. jfaba@ub.edu
authors: Josep
authors: J
authors: Fabà
authors: Feliciano
authors: F
authors: Villar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers; D003704:Dementia / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires