Psychometric properties of the Kingston Caregiver Stress Scale in Romanian caregivers of children and adults with disabilities

Abstract

BackgroundThe Kingston Caregiver Stress Scale (KCSS) was designed to measure stress in caregivers of people with dementia, but empirical studies have used this instrument to measure stress in caregivers of children and adults with disabilities, without investigating its psychometric properties. AimsThis study analysed the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the KCSS in Romanian caregivers of children and adults with disabilities. Methods and proceduresA total of 276 familial caregivers of children and adults with various disabilities completed measures of caregiver stress and related concepts. After 3 months, 72 participants were retested. Outcomes and resultsA new bifactorial model with eight items was compared against the originally proposed trifactorial model and a previously proposed bifactorial model with 10 items.The bifactorial eight-item model had the best fit indices (χ2 = 41.4, df = 19, p = .002, CFI = .981, TLI = .971, RMSEA = .065 [90 % CI = .038, .092]), along with good test-retest reliability and convergent, divergent, and predictive validity of anxiety and depression. Conclusions and implicationsThe KCSS is a reliable instrument for assessing caregiver stress among caregivers of children and adults with disabilities. Implications, limitations, and future research suggestions are discussed.