Caregrief scale confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of portuguese caregivers

Abstract

There is a great deal of information about caregivers’ suffering. However, there is a lack of scales in Portugal that evaluate this dimension of human behavior. The purpose of this study was to validate and adapt the Caregiver Grief Scale (CGS), developed by Franziska Meichsner, Denise Schinköthe, and Gabriele Wilz (2016) for the German population, to assess the degree of suffering of caregivers. To analyze the instrument’s psychometric properties, we used confirmatory factorial analysis with a sample of 150 caregivers (formal and informal). The results did not confirm the proposal of a 4-factor model (emotional pain, relational loss, complete loss, and loss acceptance), as proposed by the German study. Subsequently, we used the exploratory factorial analysis that suggested a unifactorial model, which confirmatory factorial analysis showed was more adequate for the study sample, with values of: χ² / df = 2.023; CFI = .970; GIF = .923; RMSEA = .083; AIC = 110.724. The internal consistency analysis indicated a Cronbach alpha of .936, and the Composite Reliability was .934. In conclusion, the German Caregiver Grief Scale multifactorial structure was not replicated in the Portuguese sample. For the Portuguese population, the caregivers suffering scale presented a unifactorial construct. In Portugal, it is recommended that future studies be carried out with a differentiated sample of caregivers.