Poster #65 - Development and Validation of Instrument to Assess the Perceptions of Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities

• In Event: 3-106 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Section - Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Integrative Statement

Individuals who provide care to persons with disabilities experience unique challenges and stressors. A body of literature has examined challenges for caregivers who reside in Western cultures. Even though two-thirds of the world’s population of people with disability live in the Asian and Pacific region (WHO, 2008), there is less research conducted to understand the culturally salient challenges and preferences for support seeking among caregivers in these regions. The purpose of the current study was to develop a self-report measure that included culturally salient sources of stressors and forms of support for Asian caregivers, and to test its reliability and validity. Utilizing an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, in phase one, open-ended interviews were completed with caregivers from Singapore (n = 8) to explore the sources of stress and support in providing caregiving for offspring with disabilities. Thematic analysis yielded 21 themes organized in five domains: perceived causes of disability, caregiver’s response to the offspring’s disability, family impact, sources of stress, and sources of support. These findings, along with a review of existing measures of stress and support were used to develop the initial items for a self-report measure of caregivers’ sources of stress and support particularly in the Singapore context. In phase two, the initial pool of 34 items were administered to caregivers of individuals with disabilities from Singapore (n = 234), and the data were factor-analyzed. Two factors, sources of stress and sources of support were identified. Item analysis, factor loadings of items, internal consistency assessment, and feedback from professionals working with these caregivers were used to revise the preliminary scale, and a final pool of 20 items was selected. In phase three, the newly developed measure, along with measures of well-being, depression, caregiving burden, and social support were administered to a sample of caregivers from Singapore (n = 370). The two subscales, sources of stress and support, showed adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Ratings on sources of stress subscale positively correlated with caregiver burden and predicted self-reported depression, while ratings on sources of support subscale positively correlated with a measure of social support and predicted self-reported well-being. Findings from this study contribute to the knowledge base regarding culturally salient sources of stress and support, and provide a reliable and valid measure that can be used by professionals locally to assess the needs of caregivers.

Authors

• Belinda H Teo, Miami University
  Presenting Author

• Vaishali Raval, Miami University of Ohio
  Non-Presenting Author