The positive and negative appraisals of caregiving (PANAC) scale: A new measure to examine the caregiving experience in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Abstract

IntroductionDementia caregiving is often examined as a monolithic experience describing the challenges caregivers face, exploring one construct at a time, with little research on the positive experiences of caregiving. To address this, we developed the Positive and Negative Appraisals of Caregiving (PANAC) scale.MethodsPANAC was validated in 253 patient‐caregiver dyads. Factor analyses revealed a two‐factor solution: Positive Appraisals (PAs) and Negative Appraisals (NAs). Psychometric properties were compared with patient and caregiver characteristics and outcomes, disease stage, and etiology.ResultsInternal consistency was good with Cronbach's alpha: 0.82 NA and 0.80 PA (P < 0.001). NA correlated with patient and caregiver characteristics, whereas PA correlated only with caregiver characteristics. The PA/NA ratio could be used to capture change due to an intervention.DiscussionThe PANAC scale is a useful measure of the overall caregiver experience accounting for negative and positive experiences and may be used to tailor support to individual caregivers.