Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of Caregiver Burden Index (CBI) for Parents of Children with Allergies

Abstract

Childhood chronic diseases have a great impact, including physiological, social and financial burdens, on parents. The concept of “caregiver burden” is gaining importance to understand the effects of allergic diseases and plan family-centered strategies. PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Burden Index (CBI) in Turkish mothers of children with allergies. MethodThe participants of this methodological study were 213 mothers of children with allergies between 6 and 12years. Construct validity was evaluated through factor analysis and reliability was evaluated through internal consistency and item-total correlation. ResultsIn reliability analysis, the overall Cronbach's alpha value (0.85) demonstrated a high level of reliability. The corrected item-total correlation varied between 0.63 and 0.84. In exploratory factor analysis, it was detected that 3 factors structure explained 73.6% of the total variance. ConclusionThis study indicated that the CBI is a valid and reliable tool to assess the caregiver burden of mothers of Turkish children with allergies. Implication for PracticesThe results of this study contribute to the development and implementation of evidence based models of care that address the caregiver burden needs of parents whose children have allergies.