Psychometric properties of the caregiving difficulty scale in mothers of children with cerebral palsy

BACKGROUND: The Caregiving Difficulty Scale is used to measure the burden of caregiving experienced by mothers of children with cerebral palsy. This study aimed to identify the psychometric properties of the Caregiving Difficulty Scale using the Rasch model. METHODS: Data collected from 206 mothers of children with cerebral palsy were analyzed. Unidimensionality, difficulty of item, rating scale appropriateness, and reliability using the separation index of the Caregiving Difficulty Scale were verified. Unidimensionality of all 25 items was identified through the item fit. RESULTS: Our analysis of item difficulty indicated that person ability and item difficulty are expressed as a similar logit extend. The use of the 5-point rating scale appeared to be appropriate. Outcome analysis revealed that the reliability was high based on the person and that the item separation level was acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the Caregiving Difficulty Scale could be a valuable tool for evaluating the caregiving burden in mothers of children with cerebral palsy.