The positive and negative appraisals of caregiving (PANAC) scale: A new measure to examine the caregiving experience in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

Abstract

Introduction: Dementia caregiving is often examined as a monolithic experience describing the challenges caregivers face, exploring one construct at a time, with little research on the positive experiences of caregiving. To address this, we developed the Positive and Negative Appraisals of Caregiving (PANAC) scale. Methods: PANAC was validated in 253 patient-caregiver dyads. Factor analyses revealed a two-factor solution: Positive Appraisals (PAs) and Negative Appraisals (NAs). Psychometric properties were compared with patient and caregiver characteristics and outcomes, disease stage, and etiology. Results: Internal consistency was good with Cronbach’s alpha: 0.82 NA and 0.80 PA (P < 0.001).NA correlatedwith patient and caregiver characteristics,whereas PA correlated only with caregiver characteristics. The PA/NA ratio could be used to capture change due to an intervention. Discussion: The PANAC scale is a useful measure of the overall caregiver experience accounting for negative and positive experiences and may be used to tailor support to individual caregivers.