Abstract
BACKGROUND: Caregiver burden is associated with long-term caregiving, which can manifest through physical and emotional issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, and exhaustion. Assessing caregiver burden allows for determining its impact and monitoring its evolution, aiding in professional intervention and the implementation of health-promoting measures. This study aimed to determine the cut-off score of the Informal Caregiver Burden Assessment Questionnaire in its short form version (QASCI-VR) to identify caregivers at risk of anxiety and depression. METHODS: A secondary study that used data from two primary studies conducted with informal caregivers in northern Portugal. The sample consisted of 201 family caregivers. The SF36 Quality of Life Questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were utilised. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression among caregivers was high (40.8%). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82 for predicting anxiety and depression, with a cut-off point of 40 providing 82% accuracy, 78% sensitivity, and 75% specificity. Cluster analysis confirmed that the QASCI-VR is a measure that discriminates between participants with and without depression. CONCLUSION: The QASCI-VR cut-off score of 40 provides healthcare professionals with a validated threshold for identifying caregivers at high risk of anxiety and depression, with good discriminatory accuracy. This cut-off enables early detection and timely intervention, facilitating more accurate screening and monitoring of caregiver burden in clinical practice. The study addresses a critical gap by establishing an evidence-based reference point for clinical decision-making in caregiver mental health assessment.