Background Living with people diagnosed with a mental disorder is known to increase the risk of developing high levels of so–called “caregiver burden” in informal caregivers. In–depth analysis of this phenomenon and specific assessment tools for caregivers of patients diagnosed with Eating Disorders (EDs) are lacking. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Burden Inventory in EDs and employ this adapted tool in this category of caregivers. Methods A cross–sectional study was conducted in the Eating Disorders outpatient unit of an Italian University hospital. Face and content validity were investigated by calculating standard Content Validity Indices (CVI-I and CVI-S) after administering the Inventory to 6 expert nurses with at least 5 years of experience in mental health services assisting people diagnosed with Eating Disorders. Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach’s α coefficient for the overall scale and subscales. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to explore latent constructs. The adapted CBI was then administered to 62 informal caregivers of ED patients. Results The EFA yielded a 5–factor structure. The CVI-S was 97.2%; the Cronbach α coefficient was 0,90 (> 0.74 in each subscale). The median burden level in the experimental population was 40.0 [range = 21 to 54], in a theoretical range from 0 (no burden) to 96 (highest level of burden). Conclusion The Caregiver Burden Inventory appears to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess caregiver burden in individuals diagnosed with Eating Disorders. Further research is needed to evaluate this tool’s efficiency in improving individually tailored interventions on families.

Background Living with people diagnosed with a mental disorder is known to increase the risk of developing high levels of so–called “caregiver burden” in informal caregivers. In–depth analysis of this phenomenon and specific assessment tools for caregivers of patients diagnosed with Eating Disorders are lacking. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Burden Inventory scale in a sample of caregivers of Eating Disorder patients (CBI–ED). Methods A cross–sectional study was conducted in the Eating Disorders outpatient unit of an Italian University hospital. Face and content validity were investigated by calculating standard Content Validity Indices (CVI-I and CVI-S) after administering the Inventory to 5 expert nurses with a minimum 5 years’ experience in mental health services assisting people diagnosed with Eating Disorders. Reliability was evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the overall scale and subscales. An exploratory factor analysis was also performed to assess construct validity. Results CBI-ED was administered to 62 informal caregivers from May 1st to July 31st, 2019. The exploratory factor analysis yielded a 5–factor structure. The CVI-S was 97.2%; the Cronbach α coefficient was 0,90 (> 0.74 in each subscale). The mean overall burden level in the experimental population was 40 [21;54], in a theoretical range from 0 (no burden) to 96 (highest level of burden). Conclusion The Caregiver Burden Inventory appears to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess caregiver burden in individuals diagnosed with Eating Disorders. Further research is needed to evaluate this tool’s efficiency in improving individually tailored interventions on families.