La literatura sobre cuidadores familiares de adultos mayores se- ñala que la abnegación es un atributo característico en quien asume el rol del cuidado aún a expensas del deterioro de la propia salud física y/o emocional; sin embargo, no se ha desarrollado un instrumento psicométrico que posibilite el estudio de la abnegación en muestras grandes de cuidadores y que genere evidencia que se pueda integrar a modelos comprehensivos del bienestar en cuidadores. Con el marco teórico y empírico de la etnopsicología mexicana, se diseñó una escala de abnegación que se aplicó a dos muestras de cuidadores (n1=115; n=351), mediante un muestreo no probabilístico. Análisis factoriales exploratorios revelaron dos dimensiones que explican 60% de la varianza del atributo: Auto-modificación para evitar tensiones familiares y Auto-sacrificio para satisfacer necesidades familiares. Análisis factoriales, vía ecuaciones estructurales, confirmaron el modelo de medida sometido, de acuerdo a los siguientes índices de bondad de ajuste: SRMR = .039, RMSEA = .062, CFI = .971, GFI = .975, NFI = .950. La escala mostró propiedades de validez y confiabilidad adecuadas, indicando factores culturalmente relevantes y conceptualmente claros
Literature about family caregivers of the elderly identify abnegation as a main attribute in those who assume the caregiving role. This characteristic comes at the expense of their own physical and/or emotional health; however, no psychometric instruments have been developed that study abnegation within large caregiver samples which can in turn generate evidence that could be integrated into comprehensive models of well-being in caregivers. Aided by the theoretical frame and empirical background of Mexican ethnopsychology, an abnegation scale was designed and applied to two caregivers samples (n1=115; n2=351), using non probabilistic sampling. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two dimensions that explained 60% of test variance: Self-modification to avoid familiar tension and Selfdenial to meet family needs. Factor analysis through structural equation modeling confirmed the submitted measure model, in accordance to the following goodness of fit indexes: SRMR = .039, RMSEA = .062, CFI = .971, GFI = .975, NFI = .950. The scale showed adequate validity and reliability properties, indicating culturally relevant and conceptually clear factors.
