Validation of the Pearlin Mastery Scale for unpaid caregivers of people living with dementia in Brazil: a methodological study.

Abstract

Background: Sense of mastery has been described in the literature as a psychological resource potentially associated with reduced caregiver burden. However, there are no validated instruments in the Brazilian context that allow the evaluation of the sense of mastery as a possible outcome of interventions aimed at supporting unpaid caregivers of people with dementia.

Objective: To validate the construct of the Brazilian version of the Pearlin Mastery Scale among unpaid caregivers of people living with dementia.

Design and setting: This methodological study was conducted with 100 unpaid caregivers of people living with dementia, cared for at home, and who resided in Brazil.

Methods: Evidence of validity was tested based on internal structure, reliability, and correlations with theoretically related constructs. Sociodemographic data on sense of mastery, burden, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and quality of life were collected.

Results: Difficulties involving burden (80%), depressive symptoms (70%), anxiety (65%), and low quality of life (62%) were reported. Satisfactory measures of adjustment were found in the factor analysis; however, by removing two inversely scored items, these measures improved, resulting in a Cronbach's alpha of 0.75. Significant correlations were found between sense of mastery and burden scores (ρ = -.56), symptoms of depression (ρ = -.57), anxiety (ρ = -.57), and quality of life (ρ = .64).

Conclusion: Evidence of validity was found for the Pearlin Mastery Scale Brazilian version based on the internal structure, reliability, and correlations with theoretically related constructs, indicating that it is a suitable instrument for use in Brazil.