Citation

Nylén-Eriksen M, Bjørnnes AK, Hafstad H, Lie I, Grov EK, Lara-Cabrera ML. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022; 19(18): e11489.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph191811489

PMID

36141760

Abstract

PURPOSE: Research on the psychological well-being of caregivers of children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) suggests that the well-being of parents and caregivers has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the psychological well-being of caregivers is a major concern, few validated well-being measures exist for caregivers of children diagnosed with ADHD. Therefore, a valid self-report scale is needed to assess well-being during the pandemic. The brief Five-Item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) has previously been used in studies on caregivers. However, its validity in this population remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the WHO-5 with caregivers of children with ADHD.

METHODS: A cross-sectional anonymous online survey was conducted in Norway. The study recruited caregivers from a community sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was carried out to investigate the construct validity by exploring the relationship between well-being, quality of life, social support, self-reported psychological distress, and perceived stress.

RESULTS: The findings of unidimensionality and high internal consistency, together with the results from the hypothesis testing, demonstrate the reliability and construct validity of the Norwegian version of the WHO-5 in this population.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first empirical evidence of the validity and reliability of the WHO-5 from a sample of Norwegian caregivers of children diagnosed with ADHD, with excellent reliability and construct validity. The scale can be used to systematize the measurement of well-being in caregivers because of its brevity and good psychometric properties, making it a valuable resource in research settings and assisting healthcare professionals in their crucial work of caring for caregivers.

Language: en

Keywords

psychological distress; validity; COVID-19; well-being; caregivers; psychometric properties; WHO-5