Psychometric Properties of Caregiver Contribution and Self-Efficacy Scales in Cancer.

The sample was a convenience sample from Italian outpatient clinics, so it may not represent caregivers in other settings or countries. Caregivers were enrolled during clinic visits, which may have influenced how they reported their role and confidence. Ceiling effects were common, especially for monitoring, so the scales may not distinguish among caregivers with very high contribution. The self-efficacy scale did not fit well as one factor, and some factor structures needed modifications. Test-retest stability was measured over 3 months, a long interval for cancer caregiving, and the management scale was below the accepted stability threshold. Caregiver contribution to maintenance was not significantly associated with patient maintenance, so this link was not confirmed. The study included only informal caregivers of patients with advanced solid cancers receiving oral anticancer agents, not paid caregivers or all cancer populations.

Funded by the Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship in Rome. The funder did not influence study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or report writing. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not read high caregiver contribution scores as proof that patients are receiving better care or that caregiver support improves outcomes. This study tested how well the questionnaires measure caregiver contribution and confidence, not whether any intervention changed outcomes, and many contribution scores were near the maximum.