title: When Significant Others Suffer: German Validation of the Burden Assessment Scale (BAS).
abstract: There is a need of an economical, reliable, and valid instrument in the German-speaking countries to measure the burden of relatives who care for mentally ill persons. We translated the Burden Assessment Scale (BAS) and conducted a study investigating factor structure, psychometric quality and predictive validity. We used confirmative factor analyses (CFA, maximum-likelihood method) to examine the dimensionality of the German BAS in a sample of 215 relatives (72% women; M = 32 years, SD = 14, range: 18 to 77; 39% employed) of mentally ill persons (50% (ex-)partner or (best) friend; M = 32 years, SD = 13, range 8 to 64; main complaints were depression and/or anxiety). Cronbach's α determined the internal consistency. We examined predictive validity using regression analyses including the BAS and validated scales of social systems functioning (Experience In Social Systems Questionnaire, EXIS.pers, EXIS.org) and psychopathology (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI). Variables that might have influenced the dependent variables (e.g. age, gender, education, employment and civil status) were controlled by their introduction in the first step, and the BAS in the second step of the regression analyses. A model with four correlated factors (Disrupted Activities, Personal Distress, Time Perspective, Guilt) showed the best fit. With respect to the number of items included, the internal consistency was very good. The modified German BAS predicted relatives' social systems functioning and psychopathology. The economical design makes the 19-item BAS promising for practice-oriented research, and for studies under time constraints. Strength, limitations and future directions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Bergheimer Straße 20, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hunger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Hauptstraße 47-51, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Bergheimer Straße 20, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hilzinger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Bergheimer Straße 20, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ditzen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Bergheimer Straße 20, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schweitzer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult