Zarit Burden Interview – ZBI (Caregiver’s Burden Scale)
Measures the subjective level of burden experienced by caregivers of chronically ill or disabled relatives.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Zarit Burden Interview – ZBI (Caregiver’s Burden Scale) was developed by Steven H. Zarit, Karen E. Reever, Julie Bach-Peterson (1980). It is designed to measure Caregiver Burden. The scale is intended for use with Informal caregivers of elderly or impaired individuals.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 22 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Never, 1 = Rarely, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Quite frequently, 4 = Nearly always.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 88. Interpretation guidelines:
- Little or no burden: 0 – 20
- Mild to moderate burden: 21 – 40
- Moderate to severe burden: 41 – 60
- Severe burden: 61 – 88
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.92.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.