The Behavior Problem Checklist (BPC) is a self-report measure that structures caregivers' reports of specific behavior problems, activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in care recipients and inquires about the caregiver's understanding of the cause of those problems. The BPC addresses a wide range of behaviors often found across a variety or chronic illnesses, including but not limited to dementia processes. The measure uses a simple response format with a single rating of the extent to which each behavior is a problem, the likelihood that each of six possible attributions is causing the problems and a scale to assess the amount of assistance needed with ADLs and IADLs. Responses to behavior problems are summarized in three subscales: daily functioning, cognition and mental health (Anderson, 2011). The BPC takes less than 10 minutes to complete and includes a simple and easy scoring format that allows subscale scores to be graphed and presented visually. The scales and subscales of the BPC can be used to guide implementation of appropriate interventions to reduce stress and burden, as a tool to provide appropriate psychoeducation to the care giver and as a way to assess level of objective burden of caregiving.
Validity and Reliability
The BPC has been examined for reliability and validity. The sample used for this analysis consisted of 478 caregivers who were predominantly female (76 percent), European-American (78 percent), and who were children (54 percent) or spouses (29 percent) of the care recipient. The five subscales of the BPC exhibited excellent item-total internal reliability from .89 to .92, and test-retest reliability from r = .70 to .92. The BPC also exhibited good convergent validity with another measure of behavior problems ( r ≥ .43; O'Malley & Qualls, 2013).
Conclusion
The BPC can be used in clinical or research settings to assess behavior problems exhibited by care recipients. Advantages of the BPC is that it does not require special training to administer, includes behavioral symptoms associated with a range of illnesses and can be used across multiple settings. The BPC provides a consistent, valid and reliable assessment of problem behaviors and required ADL and IADL assistance and should be considered a useful clinical tool in identifying care recipient problems across a wide range of chronic medical conditions.
References
Anderson, L. N. (2011). Attributions and symptom reports of cognitive impairment: Testing the symmetry rule in caregiver therapy clients . (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
O’Malley, K., & Qualls, S. H. (2016). Development and preliminary examination of the psychometric properties of the Behavior Problem Checklist. Clinical Gerontologist, 39, 263-281. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2015.1121196
The Behavior Problem Checklist (BPC) is a self-report measure that structures caregivers' reports of specific behavior problems, activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in care recipients and inquires about the caregiver's understanding of the cause of those problems. The BPC addresses a wide range of behaviors often found across a variety or chronic illnesses, including but not limited to dementia processes. The measure uses a simple response format with a single rating of the extent to which each behavior is a problem, the likelihood that each of six possible attributions is causing the problems and a scale to assess the amount of assistance needed with ADLs and IADLs. Responses to behavior problems are summarized in three subscales: daily functioning, cognition and mental health (Anderson, 2011). The BPC takes less than 10 minutes to complete and includes a simple and easy scoring format that allows subscale scores to be graphed and presented visually. The scales and subscales of the BPC can be used to guide implementation of appropriate interventions to reduce stress and burden, as a tool to provide appropriate psychoeducation to the care giver and as a way to assess level of objective burden of caregiving.