title: The use of the Burden Assessment Scale with families of a pediatric population.
abstract: The emotional, financial and social impact on caregivers of those with pediatric psychiatric, emotional and behavioral disorders has been poorly documented. This study sought to begin to remedy this by determining the utility of the Burden Assessment Scale (BAS) with this population. 300 parents seeking services within a major Canadian city were interviewed using the BAS and a follow up questionnaire on the clarity, comprehensiveness and acceptability of the BAS. The BAS was clear, acceptable and comprehensive for >80% of participants. Factor analysis revealed four factors compared to the original five factors found with adults. The BAS had a utility with this population and would be a valuable addition to standard information gathered but use of the total score only is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB, Canada, dmurdoch@MTRoyal.ca.
authors.forename: Douglas D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Murdoch
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barsky
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maunula
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cawthorpe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult