The adult carer quality of life questionnaire (AC-QoL): comparison with measures of burden and well-being, and Italian validation.

The adult carer quality of life questionnaire (AC-QoL): comparison with measures of burden and well-being, and Italian validation.

Disabil Rehabil. 2018 Jan 10;:1-10

Authors: Negri L, Piazza G, Sartori RDG, Cocchi MG, Delle Fave A

Abstract
PURPOSE: Family caregivers are essential assets in the rehabilitation process, and their psychophysical health should represent a concern for healthcare services. This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire, Italian version, and its convergent-discriminant validity with measures of caring burden, resilience, health, and well-being.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were 591 parents (89.2% females; aged 25-69) of children treated as outpatients in 14 centers of "Istituto Medea - La Nostra Famiglia", an Italian rehabilitation institution. They completed: Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire, a 40-item scale assessing care-related challenges, resources, and benefits; Caregiver Burden Inventory; Resilience Scale for Adults; Satisfaction With Life Scale; Health Survey SF-36. The psychometric properties of the Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire were investigated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and reliability evaluation; correlation coefficients assessed convergent and discriminant validity with burden and well-being measures.
RESULTS: The original eight-factor structure of the Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire showed good adequacy and internal consistency; convergent and discriminant validity with measures of burden, resilience, satisfaction, physical and mental health were satisfactory.
CONCLUSIONS: The Italian version of the Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument to assess caregivers' perceived challenges and resources. As a parsimonious and easily administrable tool, it can be used to evaluate caregivers' quality of life and related interventions. Implications for Rehabilitation Family caregivers are essential assets for the rehabilitation process, and their challenges and resources need to be considered by healthcare services. Information on caregivers' frailties to be reduced and strengths to be empowered allows to design interventions promoting well-being and social integration of people with disabilities and their families. The Adult Carer Quality of Life is a comprehensive measure of burden and well-being dimensions that can be easily administered to caregivers of any age.

PMID: 29316811 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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