Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
PM R. 2011 Oct;3(10):912-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2011.05.017.
To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Care and Comfort Caregiver Questionnaire (CareQ), which was developed to measure the perceived effort of caregivers in providing care for children with moderate to severe cerebral palsy (CP).
Cross-sectional data collection from a representative sample of a large racially/ethnically diverse geographic region.
Outpatient CP clinics at a metropolitan rehabilitation institution.
A total of 100 primary caregivers of children with CP whose Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels were III-V.
The CareQ was administered to primary caregivers of children with CP. Internal consistency of the CareQ and its 3 domains (Personal Care, Positioning/Transfers, and Comfort) were evaluated with the Cronbach α. Construct validity of the CareQ was evaluated by its correlation with the Pediatric Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM). Associations between CareQ scores and child and caregiver characteristics were assessed.
Mean CareQ scores for children with GMFCS levels III, IV, and V were 30.6, 42.8, and 45.1, respectively (P < .01). The Cronbach α was 0.90 for total CareQ and 0.93, 0.80, and 0.82 for its Personal Care, Positioning/Transfers, and Comfort domains, respectively. Total CareQ and WeeFIM scores were negatively correlated (r = -.22; P = .03). Total CareQ scores were positively correlated with the child's age (r = .38; P < .01) and with body weight (r =.37; P < .01); however, no caregiver characteristics were associated with CareQ scores.
The CareQ is a concise and internally consistent measure of difficulty of care as perceived by caregivers of children whose GMFCS levels were III-V. Further investigation should include assessment of responsiveness of the CareQ to changes in the child's functional status over time and/or with rehabilitation interventions.
评估 Care 和 Comfort 照顾者问卷（CareQ）的心理测量特性，该问卷旨在衡量为患有中重度脑瘫（CP）的儿童提供护理的照顾者的感知努力。
从一个大型种族/族裔多样化地理区域的代表性样本中进行横断面数据收集。
大都市康复机构的 CP 门诊诊所。
共 100 名患有 CP 的儿童的主要照顾者，其粗大运动功能分类系统（GMFCS）水平为 III-V。
CareQ 被管理给患有 CP 的儿童的主要照顾者。CareQ 及其 3 个领域（个人护理、定位/转移和舒适）的内部一致性用 Cronbach α 进行评估。CareQ 的结构有效性通过与儿科功能独立性测量（WeeFIM）的相关性来评估。评估 CareQ 分数与儿童和照顾者特征之间的相关性。
GMFCS 水平为 III、IV 和 V 的儿童的平均 CareQ 分数分别为 30.6、42.8 和 45.1（P <.01）。CareQ 的 Cronbach α 为 0.90，个人护理、定位/转移和舒适领域分别为 0.93、0.80 和 0.82。CareQ 总分与 WeeFIM 得分呈负相关（r = -.22；P =.03）。CareQ 总分与儿童年龄呈正相关（r =.38；P <.01），与体重呈正相关（r =.37；P <.01）；然而，没有照顾者特征与 CareQ 分数相关。
CareQ 是一种简洁且内部一致的衡量照顾者感知困难的方法，适用于 GMFCS 水平为 III-V 的儿童。进一步的研究应包括评估 CareQ 对儿童功能状态随时间变化的反应能力，以及/或对康复干预的反应能力。
