Development and validation of the double duty caregiving scale

Authors

Catherine Ward-Griffin, University of Western Ontario
Janice Keefe, Mount Saint Vincent University
Anne Martin-Matthews, University of British Columbia
Michael Kerr, University of Western Ontario
Judith Belle Brown, University of Western Ontario
Abram Oudshoorn, University of Western Ontario

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2009

Journal

Canadian Journal of Nursing Research

Volume

41

Issue

3

First Page

108

Last Page

128

Abstract

In order to gain an understanding of double duty caregiving (DDC), defined here as the provision of care to elderly relatives by practising health professionals, a DDC scale has been developed. This study tests the psychometric properties of the scale. Survey data were collected from a random sample of 187 female registered nurses who were employed and also provided care to elderly relatives. Nine factors contributing to DDC emerged from exploratory factor analysis. The DDC subscales were moderately correlated with the standardized health measures included in the study. The caregiving interface (degree of blurring between the professional and personal caregiving domains) was significantly negatively correlated with well-being and mental health. This result extends our understanding of the supports needed by those providing DDC.