Both of these instruments have been validated in a Mexican population of family caregivers of adult patients and have been used in family caregivers of children with cancer. Another instrument is the Goldberg Anxiety Scale, which assesses psychic and somatic anxiety. One such instrument is the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, which has been used in combination with depression scales to assess the emotional states of the general population and of family caregivers. Self-Report Instruments for Assessing AnxietyĪmong the self-report instruments for assessing anxiety, four are widely applied in the clinic and frequently cited in research studies all four of these measurement tools were developed for use in clinical populations in the USA. The short- and medium-term consequences of anxiety and the importance of timely detection have led to the creation of different instruments for its measurement and evaluation.ġ.2. Īlthough anxiety is a normal reaction for a person in a situation perceived to be threatening or critical, symptoms that exceed healthy limits can lead to a severe disorder that affects the overall functioning and quality of life of the family caregiver. These disorders are related to cognitive symptoms (forgetfulness, attention deficit, inability to concentrate), physiological symptoms (neurodermatitis, interrupted sleep, changes in appetite), psychosocial symptoms (agitation, loss of interest, fixations) and other adverse family dynamics and personal responses to crises or conflicts related to the caregiver burden. Empirical findings suggest that family caregivers may experience high levels of anxiety, depression, parental stress and caregiver burden accompanied by low levels of family support, resilience and well-being. Ī review of published empirical research shows that psychosocial factors are associated with anxiety in family caregivers of chronically ill children and that these caregivers have a higher prevalence of anxiety and distress than the general population.
Thus, the demands of chronic illness and the effects of providing care influence the quality of life of the family caregiver on the personal, social and vocational levels in addition to increasing their vulnerability to associated emotional and physical disorders, such as depression.
In this situation, parents abandon most of their social and recreational activities and neglect their own health due to the demands of their role as caregivers of the sick child, the patient’s siblings and even other family members. Impact of Caring for a Child with Cancer on the Family CaregiverĬhildhood cancer is a chronic disease that requires continuous medical treatment and frequent hospital readmission and usually affects the quality of life of children and their parents. These findings suggest that a reduced single-factor version of the BAI is valid for Mexican family caregivers of children with cancer.ġ.1. The scale was positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with resilience. High levels of symptoms of anxiety were present in 49.4% of caregivers. The distribution of BAI-11 scores was skewed to the left. The internal consistency of the scale reduced to 11 items (BAI-11) was good (alpha = 0.89). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a lack of discriminant validity between these two factors and supported a single-factor model. The exploratory factor analysis showed a model of two correlated factors (physiological and emotional symptoms). The two-, three- and four-factor models originally proposed for the BAI did not hold. Confirmatory factor analysis using the maximum likelihood method was performed to determine the factor structure and exploratory factor analysis using axis factorization with oblique rotation was conducted. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the BAI, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Measurement Scale of Resilience were administered to an incidental sample of 445 family caregivers of children with cancer hospitalized at the National Institute of Health in Mexico City. This cross-sectional study was carried out with convenience sampling. This study examined the psychometric properties of the BAI in family caregivers of children with cancer and pursued four objectives: to determine the factor structure of the BAI, estimate its internal consistency reliability, describe the distribution of BAI scores and the level of anxiety in the sample and test its concurrent validity in relation to depression and resilience. Currently, information about the psychometric properties of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) in family caregivers of children with cancer is not available thus, there is no empirical evidence of its validity and reliability to support its use in this population in Mexico or in other countries.
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