Assessing family caregiver skill in managing behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVES: This measurement study operationalized family caregiver skill in managing behavioral symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by testing a Caregiver Assessment of Behavioral Skill-Self-Report (CAB-SR) measure. METHOD: A cross-sectional design was used. Caregivers had a family member with possible/probable AD, resided at home with the care recipient and provided the majority of care (N = 82). The mail-administered assessment included the CAB-SR and other care recipient and caregiver measures. RESULTS: Preliminary CAB-SR reliability and validity were determined using reliability, factor analytic and correlational procedures. CONCLUSION: This measure provides a preliminary assessment of caregiver skill in managing behavioral symptoms of AD and shows promise for use in research and clinical intervention settings.