Support Questionnaire (Broadhead et al., 1988) was used.
Response options to the items (for example, ‘‘I get love and
affection’’) are on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (‘‘much less than I
would like’’) to 5 (‘‘as much as I would like’’). The scale had good
internal consistency (Cronbach’s a = 0.82).
Leisure time: Four items from the Quality of Life Questionnaire
(Ruiz and Baca, 1993) that measure people’s perceptions about their
leisure time were adapted for the caregiving context: ‘‘Do you have
enough time every day for relaxing and having fun or ‘‘switching
off’’?’’; ‘‘Does caregiving allow you enough time for doing other
things you want to do?’’; ‘‘Do your worries or problems related to
caregiving keep you from enjoying your free time?’’; and ‘‘Do you
have time to devote to your hobbies?’’. Items are rated on a 4-point
Likert scale that ranges from 0 (‘‘Not at all’’) to 3 (‘‘Very much’’). The
scale had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s a = 0.76)