title: The measurement of uncertainty in caregivers of patients with heart failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Family caregivers of heart failure (HF) patients describe feelings of uncertainty; however, studies measuring uncertainty in caregivers of HF patients are extremely sparse. This study examined the validity and reliability of the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale-Family Member form (PPUS-FM) in caregivers of HF patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Caregivers (n = 50) of community-dwelling HF patients completed the PPUS-FM, Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in this cross-sectional study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant correlations emerged among PPUS-FM and (a) CRA-schedule burden (p = .499, p < .01); (b) CRA-financial burden (p = .292, p < .05); (c) CRA-family burden (p = .385, p < .01); (d) CRA-health burden (p = .421; p < .01); and (e) HADS-depression scores (p = -.298, p <.05). Cronbach's alpha for the PPUS-FM was .89.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this sample, the PPUS-FM had some evidence of construct validity and good internal consistency. However, the respondent burden and unidimensional nature of the PPUS-FM suggest that this tool needs further revision and testing for use with caregivers of HF patients.
authors.affiliation: Hamilton Health Sciences/McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. harkness@hhsc.ca
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harkness
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arthur
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McKelvie
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035501:Uncertainty