Psychometric evaluation of the Farsi version of the Marwit-Meuser caregiver grief inventory-short form among family caregivers of patients with dementia.

Introduction: One of the available tools for assessing caregiver grief is the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory - Short Form, which has not been translated into Farsi. This study aimed to translate and psychometrically evaluate the short form of this Inventory in family caregivers of patients with dementia in Iran.

Methods: After translating the inventory, face validity was assessed using the item impact score method. Content validity was evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively by calculating the content validity index and ratio. Item analysis was performed, and construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis with maximum likelihood estimation and Promax rotation, as well as confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was determined by calculating Cronbach's alpha, omega coefficient, and the average inter-item correlation.

Results: All items had an impact score greater than 1.5. The content validity ratio of all items exceeded 0.62, and all items had a kappa score higher than 0.75. In exploratory factor analysis, two items were removed due to cross-loading, and the two-factor structure with 16 items explained 48.34% of the variance. In confirmatory factor analysis, the indices indicated an acceptable model fit for the two-factor structure. Cronbach's alpha and omega for Factor 1 were both 0.9, while Cronbach's alpha for Factor 2 was 0.86 and its omega was 0.87. The average inter-item correlation was also within the acceptable range.

Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the Farsi short-form version of the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory exhibits acceptable psychometric properties in a population of family caregivers of Farsi-speaking dementia patients. This tool can assist nurses, physicians, and other clinical professionals working with caregivers in assessing grief, identifying its presence, and planning necessary interventions.