NÖROLOJİK HASTALIĞI OLAN HASTA YAKINLARINDA BAKIM YÜKÜ: GÜVENİRLİK VE GEÇERLİLİK ÇALIŞMASI

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Bakas Caregiving Impact Scale (BCOS-Tr) as well as its psychometric properties on caregivers of patients with different neurological disorders. Methods: The study included 92 caregivers (46.36±12.60 years) who care for patients with different neurological disorders and 80 non-caregivers (44.25±12.81 years). Caregivers were assessed using the Turkish version of the scale, and for test-retest reliability (ICC), the scale was re-administered to 30 caregivers after a 15-day interval. Also Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Short Form-36 (SF-36) were used for all participants. Results: The internal consistency of the BCOS-Tr was Cronbach α=0.90, and ICC=0.96. The Turkish scale, like the original, is unidimensional and explains 43.18% of the total variance. The caregivers’ total mean score was 51.06/105 and significant correlations were found between the total score of the scale and both the SF-36 and BDI (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings indicate that Turkish version of the BCOS is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating the impact of caregiving among caregivers of patients with neurological disorders. Providing care for individuals with neurological conditions negatively affects caregivers’ quality of life; therefore, the burden of caregiving should be taken into consideration.