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Guilt after placement questionnaire: a new instrument to assess caregiver emotional functioning following nursing home placement |
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| Authors: | Jennifer Duncan Davis Benjamin D Hill Joshua Taylor Geoffrey Tremont |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA;2. Department of Psychiatry &3. Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA;4. Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA |
| Abstract: | Objective: Guilt is a core feature of dementia caregivers’ experiences following placement. This study describes and validates a new assessment tool for monitoring caregiver adjustment after placement. Methods: Forty-six items addressing ambivalence and guilt about placement were tested with 170 dementia caregivers (M age = 56.79, SD = 13.19; 69.4% female; 54.7% adult child). Results: Using principal axis factor analysis, 10 items were retained that showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.92). Construct validity was established in a subset of the sample (n = 53) with measures of depression (r = 0.53), burden (r = 0.48), conflict with staff (r = 0.47), and well-being (r = ?0.30). Conclusions: This scale may be used to identify caregivers at risk for adjustment problems following placement and to monitor adjustment over time. |
| Keywords: | Caregiving and interventions coping mental health dementia and cognitive disorders |