ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC) scale is used to assess psychosocial benefits provided to caregivers by the task of caring. The PAC scale consists of nine items, assessed using a five-point Likert scale, with higher values indicating greater positive perceptions and gains from the caregiving experience.
OBJECTIVE:
To translate and culturally adapt the PAC scale for informal Brazilian caregivers of people with dementia.
DESIGN AND SETTING:
A methodological study was conducted at the Federal University of São Carlos.
METHODS:
The following stages were carried out: Translation; Synthesis of the translations; Back-translation; Evaluation by an experts’ committee; and Pre-test.
RESULTS:
Two independent professionals translated the PAC scale. The consensus version was obtained by merging both translations, which were back-translated into English by a third translator. The expert committee comprised three specialists in the area and project researchers. All scale items presented a Content Validity Index of 1 (CVI = 1.0), and thus remained in the pre-final version of the instrument. The instrument was pre-tested with seven caregivers of people with dementia, the majority of whom were women (57.1%), with a degree of kinship corresponding to sons/daughters (57.1%) and an average age of 55.2 (± 4.1) years. The caregivers considered it clear and understandable and made no suggestions for changes.
CONCLUSION:
The PAC scale was translated and culturally adapted for use by informal caregivers of people with dementia in Brazil. However, a psychometric analysis of the instrument is necessary to provide normative data for this population group.
KEYWORDS (MeSH terms):
Dementia; Caregivers; Transcultural study; Mental health
AUTHOR KEYWORDS:
Caregivers; Positive aspects of caregiving; Adaptation of instruments; Major neurocognitive disorder; Family caregiver
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