Protocol - Family Burden of Mental Illness

Description

The Burden Assessment Scale (BAS) is a 19-item, self-administered scale to assess the burden on families with a seriously mentally ill family member. Items 1-10 assess objective consequences, including financial problems, limitations on personal activity, and household disruptions. Items 11-19 measure subjective consequences, including shame, stigma, guilt, and resentment. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale (1 = not at all; 4 = a lot). To score the BAS, ratings from each item are added together to give a total score, with higher scores indicating greater levels of caregiver burden.

Specific Instructions

None

Availability

Available

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Protocol

BURDEN ASSESSMENT SCALE

I am going to read a list of things which other people have found to happen to them because of their relative’s illness. Would you tell me to what extent you have had any of the following experiences in the past six months.

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

Because of (name’s) illness, to what extent have you:

________

1. Had financial problems

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

2. Missed days at work (or school)

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

3. Found it difficult to concentrate on your own activities

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

4. Had to change your personal plans like taking a new job, or going on vacation

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

5. Cut down on leisure time

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

6. Found the household routine was upset

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

7. Had less time to spend with friends

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

8. Neglected other family members’ needs

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

9. Experienced family frictions and arguments

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

10. Experienced frictions with neighbors, friends, or relatives outside the home

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

11. Became embarrassed because of (name’s) behavior

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

12. Felt guilty because you were not doing enough to help

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

13. Felt guilty because you felt responsible for causing (name’s) problem

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

14. Resented (name) because s/he made too many demands on you

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

15. Felt trapped by your caregiving role

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

16. Were upset about how much (name) had changed from his or her former self

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

17. Worried about how your behavior with (name) might make the illness worse

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

18. Worried about what the future holds for (name)

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

________

19. Found the stigma of the illness upsetting

____1____		____2____		____3____		____4____		____9____
Not at all		A little		Some		A lot		NA

Scoring: Ratings from each item are added together to give a total score, with higher scores indicating greater levels of caregiver burden.

Personnel and Training Required

None

Equipment Needs

None

Requirements

Requirement Category	Required
Major equipment	No
Specialized training	No
Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection	No
Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual	No

Mode of Administration

Self-administered questionnaire

Lifestage

Adult

Participants

Adults, ages 18 years and older

Selection Rationale

The Burden Assessment Scale (BAS) is a short, reliable, and valid self-administered questionnaire that is easy to use, score, and interpret.

Language

English

Standards

Standard	Name	ID	Source
caDSR Form	PhenX PX662201 - Family Burden Of Mental Illness	6920801	caDSR Form

Derived Variables

None

Process and Review

Not applicable.

Protocol Name from Source

Burden Assessment Scale (BAS)

Source

Reinhard, S.C., Gubman, G.D., Horwitz, A.V., & Minsky, S. (1994). Burden assessment scale for families of the seriously mentally ill. Evaluation and Program Planning, 17(3): 261-269.

General References

Guada, J., Land, H., & Han, J. (2011). An exploratory factor analysis of the Burden Assessment Scale with a sample of African- American families. Community Mental Health Journal, 47(2), 233-242.

Ivarsson, A.-B., Sidenvall, B., & Carlsson, M. (2004). The factor structure of the Burden Assessment Scale and the perceived burden of caregivers for individuals with severe mental disorders. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 18(4), 396-401.

Murdoch, D.D., Rahman, A., Barsky, V., Maunula, S., Cawthorpe, D. (2014). The use of the Burden Assessment Scale with families of a pediatric population. Community Mental Health Journal, 50(6): 703-710.

Protocol ID

662201

Variables

Export Variables

Variable Name	Variable ID	Variable Description	dbGaP Mapping
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Behavior_Worsen_Illness
	PX662201170000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: worried about how your behavior with (name) might make the illness worse show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Change_Personal_Plans
	PX662201040000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: had to change your personal plans like taking a new job, or going on vacation show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Difficulty_Concentrating
	PX662201030000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: found it difficult to concentrate on your own activities show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Embarrassed_Behavior
	PX662201110000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: became embarrassed because of (name's) behavior show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Family_Tensions
	PX662201090000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: experienced family frictions and arguments show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Financial_Problems
	PX662201010000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: had financial problems show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Future
	PX662201180000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: worried about what the future holds for (name) show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Guilty_Help
	PX662201120000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: felt guilty because you were not doing enough to help show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Guilty_Problem
	PX662201130000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: felt guilty because you felt responsible for causing (name's) problem show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Less_Leisure
	PX662201050000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: cut down on leisure time show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Less_Social
	PX662201070000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: had less time to spend with friends show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Missed_Work
	PX662201020000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: missed days at work (or school) show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Neglected_Others
	PX662201080000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: neglected other family members' needs show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Resentment
	PX662201140000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: resented (name) because s/he made too many demands on you show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Routine_Upsetting
	PX662201060000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: found the household routine was upset show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Stigma_Illness
	PX662201190000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: found the stigma of the illness upsetting show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Tension_Others
	PX662201100000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: experienced frictions with neighbors, friends, or relatives outside the home show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Trapped
	PX662201150000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: felt trapped by your caregiving role show less	N/A
PX662201_Burden_Assessment_Upset
	PX662201160000	Because of name's illness, to what extent more have you: were upset about how much (name) had changed from his or her former self show less	N/A

Early Psychosis Translational Research

Measure Name

Family Burden of Mental Illness

Release Date

January 17, 2017

Definition

A questionnaire to assess the impact of the illness on family members

Purpose

This measure can be used to investigate the caregiver burden experienced by parents and siblings of person with a serious mental disorder.

Keywords

early psychosis, family burden, family, Burden Assessment Scale, BAS, caregiver

Measure Protocols

Protocol ID	Protocol Name
662201	Family Burden of Mental Illness

Publications

Savill, M., et al. (2024) Exploring Data Collection Priorities of Community Partners in Early Psychosis Care Psychiatric Services. 2024 September; 75(9): 854-862. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20230455

Protocol - Family Burden of Mental Illness

Related Protocols:

Essential Protocols:

Description

Specific Instructions

Availability

Protocol

Personnel and Training Required

Equipment Needs

Requirements

Mode of Administration

Lifestage

Participants

Selection Rationale

Language

Standards

Derived Variables

Process and Review

Protocol Name from Source

Source

General References

Protocol ID

Variables

Measure Name

Release Date

Definition

Purpose

Keywords

Measure Protocols

Publications