Validity and Reliability of the Korean Version of the Behavioral Management Skill (K-BMS) for Family Caregivers of People with Dementia: A Psychometric Testing Study

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Behavioral Management Skill (K-BMS) for family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) and other types of dementia (non-AD).Methods: 258 family caregivers of people with AD and 201 family caregivers of people with non-AD were included to examine the K-BMS’s reliability and validity by psychometric tests. Item analysis, construct validity with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the known-groups method, concurrent validity test with correlations testing among a visual analogue scale (VAS), single general item (SGI), and Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and internal consistency reliability were conducted for the psychometric tests.Results: The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis yielded a two-factor model with 11 items. Results supported that the K-BMS was an appropriate model for both AD and non-AD groups with good convergent validity. Construct validity and reliability were established using the known-groups method and Cronbach’s ⍺. The concurrent validity was established with a VAS (AD: r=.22, p<.001; non-AD: r=.27, p<.001), SGI (AD: r=.30, p<.001), and ZBI (AD: r=.36, p<.001; non-AD: r=.40, p<.001).Conclusion: The K-BMS is a valid and reliable measurement to assess family caregivers’ skills to manage behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia regardless of the type of dementia. Other scales to measure similar concepts must be developed further.