Development and Psychometric Evaluation of Caregivers Knowledge and Attitude Measures for Dementia Screening in the Thai Long-Term Care System

Abstract

Dementia screening in long-term care requires caregivers with adequate knowledge and appropriate attitudes, supported by nurses. This methodological study aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties and responsiveness of caregiver knowledge and attitude measures regarding dementia screening. Participants were 160 caregivers in the long-term care system of Health Region 7, Thailand. The measures included a 20-item knowledge test and two 16-item attitude scales assessing positive and negative attitudes. Seven experts evaluated content validity; internal consistency was examined using KR-20 and Cronbach’s alpha; exploratory factor analysis was performed; and pre- and post-training scores were compared using paired t-tests and Cohen’s d. The knowledge test demonstrated an S-CVI of 0.95 and KR-20 of 0.79. The positive and negative attitude scales demonstrated S-CVI values of 0.97 and 0.96 and alpha coefficients of 0.89 and 0.86, respectively. Their factor structures explained 62.4% and 60.1% of total variance. Following training, knowledge and positive attitude scores increased, whereas negative attitude scores decreased significantly (p < 0.001). The measures are suitable for assessing caregiver readiness and monitoring capacity development; gerontological and primary care nurses may use the results to target education, monitor care, and coordinate continuity of dementia care in the long-term care system.