Chinese Version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview: A Validation Study

Objective The prevalence of dementia is expected to increase in Chinese society in the next 40 years. Family members remain the primary caregivers and bear a heavy burden. The present study aims to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Zarit Burden Interview (CZBI). Method One hundred eighty-one patient-caregiver dyads were recruited. Caregivers completed the measures of the CZBI, Caregiver Activity Survey (CAS) and 12-item Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ-12). Mini-Mental State Examination and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale were used to assess the patients' condition. Results Overall reliability of CZBI was good, with the internal consistency and test–retest reliability being high. The CZBI was highly correlated with the scores of the CAS and CHQ-12, which provides evidence of concurrent validity. Factor analysis found five factors, which accounted for 60% of variance. Conclusion The CZBI is feasible for measuring feelings of burden of caregivers for Taiwanese patients with dementia. The prevalence of dementia is expected to increase in Chinese society in the next 40 years. Family members remain the primary caregivers and bear a heavy burden. The present study aims to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Zarit Burden Interview (CZBI). One hundred eighty-one patient-caregiver dyads were recruited. Caregivers completed the measures of the CZBI, Caregiver Activity Survey (CAS) and 12-item Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ-12). Mini-Mental State Examination and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale were used to assess the patients' condition. Overall reliability of CZBI was good, with the internal consistency and test–retest reliability being high. The CZBI was highly correlated with the scores of the CAS and CHQ-12, which provides evidence of concurrent validity. Factor analysis found five factors, which accounted for 60% of variance. The CZBI is feasible for measuring feelings of burden of caregivers for Taiwanese patients with dementia.