The Danish version of Caregiver Burden Scale: Psychometric properties, prevalence, and predictors of burden in caregivers of persons with stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury

This study evaluated the Danish version of the 22-item Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS) for caregivers of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, or spinal cord injury (SCI). The study included 122 caregivers, predominantly female (66.4%), with a mean age of 52 ± 14.4 years. The CBS showed adequate psychometric properties with the Total Burden index exhibiting good internal consistency, α = .93, and no floor/ceiling effects. No significant differences were found in CBS scores among the three injury groups, but TBI-caregivers scored higher on the Emotional Involvement subscale compared to SCI-caregivers, t(118) = 2.22, p = .03. Most caregivers (52.2%) reported a low level of burden, while few (8.8%) reported high levels. SCI-caregivers were more likely than brain injury-caregivers to report low levels of burden, χ2(2) = 6.38, p = .04. Longer time in the caregiver role and being a partner vs. parent to the care-recipient predicted higher CBS scores. In conclusion, brain or spinal cord injury affects the whole family system, and CBS is a valid instrument for measuring the burden of caregivers.