Table of Contents
Background:
Many scales have been developed for the classification of, and quality of life associated with, mental illness. However, less attention has been paid to the families of mentally ill patients who can also experience difficulty. Many family members in this situation have to take on fulltime roles as caregivers, or at the very least experience they a heightened concern for the well-being of the patient and themselves. To measure this possible burden in relation to schizophrenia, in particular, the Perceived Family Burden Scale (PFBS) was developed.
Psychometrics:
The psychometric properties of the Perceived Family Burden Scale (PFBS) are discussed in Levene, Lancee, & Seeman, (1996).
Author of Tool:
Levene, J. E., Lancee, W. J., Seeman, M. V.
Key references:
Levene, J. E., Lancee, W. J., Seeman, M. V. (1996). The perceived family burden scale: measurement and validation. Schizophrenia Research, 22(2), 151–157.
Primary use / Purpose:
The Perceived Family Burden Scale (PFBS) is a 24-item questionnaire rated on a 5point Likert type scale. It contains an additional choice for each of the items where the user can also identify that the particular symptom is not present. The purpose of the scale is to measure the burden of schizophrenia on the family of a patient.
The Perceived Family Burden Scale (PFBS)
W.LANCEE, MV.SEEMAN, J.LEVENE
Instruction: Please rate the following: 1) Indicate if the behavior is displayed by your relative who suffers from schizophrenia; 2) Indicate the extent to which the behavior bothers you. (The time period considered is the past month).
A B
Mark an “x” if Indicate degree to which behavior bothered you behavior is present
| Not at all | A little | Considerably | A great deal | DK | ||
| looks fearful | ||||||
| looks sad | ||||||
| mopes | ||||||
| refuses meds | ||||||
| refuses help | ||||||
| refuses food | ||||||
| talk loudly | ||||||
| yells | ||||||
| stays in bed | ||||||
| hardly talks | ||||||
| looks messy | ||||||
| talks nonsense | ||||||
| threatens suicide | ||||||
| acts suspicious | ||||||
| uses abusive language | ||||||
| threatens violence | ||||||
| throws things | ||||||
| harasses others | ||||||
| blames others | ||||||
| harms self | ||||||
| laughs frequently | ||||||
| abuses drugs | ||||||
| paces | ||||||
| smokes too much |
INSTRUCTIONS FOR RATERS
The Perceived Family Burden Scale is rated on a five point scale, with a range from 0 to 5.
Ratings:
0 = the behaviour isn’t present and doesn’t bother the relative
1 = the behaviour is present and doesn’t bother the relative
2 = the behaviour is present and bothers the relative “a little”.
3 = the behaviour is present and bothers the relative “considerably”.
4 = the behaviour is present and bothers the relative “a great deal”.
In our study, we derived three variables which were used in the validation study:
- the total score
- an “objective score” (the number of problem behaviours identified by the informant).
- a “subjective score” (the extent to which the behaviour “bothers” the relative).