Turkish Version of Caregiver Difficulties Scale for the Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Study of Reliability and Validity

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Caregiver Difficulties Scale (CDS). Material and Method: The CDS was translated into Turkish (TR-CDS) and 116 caregivers of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) (mean age: 37.20±10.36 years) completed the TR-CDS. Impact on Family Scale (IPFAM), World Health Organization Quality of Life–Brief Form (WHOQOL-BREF), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and subscales and total impact score of TR-CDS were used for the construct validity. The internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and the test-retest reliability was assessed using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Results: For construct validity, all subscales of TR-CDS showed negative correlation with the WHOQOL-BREF and showed positive correlation with the IPFAM, FSS, NHP, and BDI-II. ICC the results of test-retest reliability analysis were for TR-CDS (total)=0.879, impact on self (CDS-IS)=0.843, support for caregiving (CDS-SC)=0.759, social and economic difficulties (CDS-S&E)=0.827, and concern for the child (CDS-CC)=0.707. A value of 0.936 was found for internal consistency. Conclusion: It was revealed that the TR-CDS was a valid and reliable tool for the caregivers of children with CP.