Health-related quality of life instrument with 8 items to measure health-related quality of life among family caregivers of people with dementia: A pilot validation study

Abstract

Background: The health-related quality of life instrument with 8 items (HINT-8) was developed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Korea. However, the HINT-8 has not yet been validated among the family caregivers of people with dementia (PwD).

Design: A cross-sectional pilot study.

Objective: The study aimed to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the HINT-8 among family caregivers of individuals with dementia.

Sample: Forty-seven family caregivers of PwD.

Measurements: HINT-8 was compared with the 5-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L) to assess its convergent and discriminant validity. Additionally, the association between the two instruments assessing HRQoL was examined using the short-form Bédard-Zarit Burden Interview (SZBI).

Results: The HINT-8 was a promising and valid HRQoL instrument for family caregivers of PwD. There was a significantly high correlation between the overall HINT-8 and EQ-5D-5L indices (r = 0.85, p < .001). The HINT-8 had acceptable psychometric properties compared to the commonly used EQ-5D-5L, as indicated by the subdomains associated with family caregivers' burden measured by the SZBI.

Conclusion: Future studies should compare the HINT-8 with existing dementia carer-specific QoL instruments among a larger study sample to enhance its statistical power and confirm its reliability and structural validity.