Development and Validation of a Coping Scale for Caregivers in Malaysia

Abstract

Introduction: Caregivers often experience stressful situations while in the midst of the caregiving process. Thus, various methods of coping have been widely applied and studied in previous researches. The aim of this study was to develop a novel questionnaire to assess the coping strategies employed by those who provide care to patients, and to further validate it among caregivers of schizophrenia patients in Malaysia.Methods: This study, which involved the caregivers of schizophrenia patients from a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was comprised of three parts, namely in-depth interviews, a pilot study, and the validation of the developed questionnaire, known as Caregiver Cope (CgCope TM ). Results: Part A originally consisted of eight themes, and it was later modified to seven themes with four items each after discussions with some experts. Part B initially had 28 items derived from the seven themes in Part A, which were then reduced to six components after a factor analysis. Part C of the questionnaire consisted of 19 items, with six components (Distraction, Caring for patient, Venting, Religion, Recreation, and Social support) having a moderate to high reliability ranging from a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.54 to 0.82. A factor analysis showed that the six factors of coping accounted for 62.36% of the total variance.Conclusion: The CgCOPE TM questionnaire is suitable for use among caregivers of schizophrenia patients. There is a need to further validate the instrument among caregivers of other patient populations.

The effects of psychosocial and economic factors on the quality of life of patients with end-stage renal disease and their caregivers in Klang Valley, Malaysia: protocol for a mixed-methods study

“… 62 The Malay version of Brief-COPE, which has been validated by Malaysian women patients with breast cancer, has good internal consistency (α=0.51–0.99). 63 Meanwhile, the Caregiver Cope Questionnaire, developed by Ibrahim et al , 64 will be used to assess the coping strategies employed by the caregivers. This questionnaire consists of 19 items, with 6 domains of coping strategies, namely, distraction, caring for the patient, venting, religion, recreation and social support.…”

“…The validation study conducted among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in Malaysia yielded Cronbach’s α values ranging between 0.54 and 0.82. 64 …”

“…The participants will be rated based on a 5-point Likert Scale (1=I have never done this; 5=I do this very frequently). The validation study conducted among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in Malaysia yielded Cronbach’s α values ranging between 0.54 and 0.82 64…”

Psychometric properties of the cultural mix coping inventory for stressful situations using physical education teachers: a multidimensional item response theory analysis

“…Previous research has already established a multiplicity of coping options used by individuals to manage a host of psychosocial stressors, stressing the usefulness and health impact of these measures through varied instruments with questionnaires dominating these measures [ 2 – 5 ]. These existing measures include coping instruments developed for athletes [ 6 , 7 ], relatives/caregivers of schizophrenic patients [ 8 , 9 ], children and adolescents [ 4 , 10 , 11 ], HIV patients and caregivers of children with cancer [ 12 ], students [ 3 , 13 ], primary care patients [ 14 ], and the general population [ 15 ]. Given that numerous coping measures have been used by different population groups who experience varying levels of stress triggered by different stressors; therefore, these cohorts are unlikely to use the same mechanisms for coping.…”

Degraded Psychophysiological Status in Caregivers and Human Resources Staff during a COVID-19 Peak Unveiled by Psychological and HRV Testing at Workplace

“…Prolonged exposure to occupational stressors associated with the inability to implement adequate responses to stressors can lead to resource depletion and is a major cause of chronic disease. Coping is a process that has received an evolutive definition but in essence describes one's reaction to manage a particular demand that is deemed taxing or overwhelming [13]. Core concepts emerging in coping range from problem-focused to emotion-focused or active coping to avoidance coping.…”