This study investigated the conflicts between caregivers and the elderly in their care, from the viewpoint of 100 caregivers, living in the State of Rio de Janeiro who filled in a questionnaire, during an interview. The marital status of the elderly and the level of schooling of the caregivers were assessed as possible variables influencing the frequency of the conflicts. Some items of an instrument of a study of solidarity between elderly and their caregivers by Lowestein, Katz, Mehlhausen-Hassoen e Prilutzky (2005) were used to build and validate the Scale of Perceived Conflicts between Caregivers and the Elderly (ECPCI), covering ten items in a Likert type, from 1 (always) to 5 (never). The ECPCI afforded excellent internal consistency (α = 0.91), and factorial analysis originated two dimensions: annoyance on a daily basis (α = 0.91) and criticism and conflicts (α = 0.83). The criticism of the caregivers by the-elderly is the highest frequency item, and the lowest was the annoyance in regard to taking care of the elderly. The elderly who do not have partners have more conflicts with the caregivers than the elderly who live with partners (t = 2.76; p<0.05). No correlation was found between the level of the caregivers' schooling and their conflicts with the elderly. Finally, strategies are suggested in order to reduce these conflicts: for instance, encouraging organizations to offer courses to caregivers to improve interpersonal communication skills and general ageing knowledge, as well as encouraging care as an emergent and important career in Brazil.
Interpersonal relationship; Caregivers; Elderly; Conflict scale
