Acquired brain injury (ABI) causes numerous problems, including cognitive and personality changes, which can be quite stressful for caregivers. In this study, we aimed to adapt an instrument to measure caregivers’ distress, the Relative Version of the Head Injury Behaviour Scale (HIBS; Godfrey et al., 2003) to the Spanish language and to determine whether the positive aspects of caregiving moderate the effects of the psychological problems of ABI on caregivers’ distress. Moderation analyses indicated that positive aspects of caregiving involving one's outlook on life reduced the association between psychological problems and caregivers’ distress. The findings suggest that although the caregiver role is a source of distress, this role can also become a source of satisfaction, actually contributing to reducing caregivers’ distress. The importance of promoting the positive aspects of caregiving in rehabilitation programmes is discussed.

Background: Numerous theoretical models have been developed to explore how caregiving can impact on caregiving outcomes. However, limited attention has been given to the effects of caregivers’ motivations for providing care, the meaning they find in caregiving, and the nature of their relationship with the care-recipient. The current study explored the associations between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, ability to find meaning in caregiving, and pre-caregiving and current relationship quality, and the way in which these variables interact to influence caregiving outcomes.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire study, in which the respondents were 447 caregivers of people with dementia who were in receipt of a specialist nursing service.

Results: The results showed that intrinsic motivations, meaning, and pre-caregiving and current relationship quality were significantly related to each other, while extrinsic motivations were only related to intrinsic motivations and meaning. All these factors were significantly related to caregiving outcomes as measured by caregiver burden, role captivity, and competence.

Conclusions: Based on these findings, it is recommended that interventions aimed at reducing caregiving stress should take into account the impact of the quality of the relationship and the caregivers’ motivations for providing care. More longitudinal research is needed to explore how meanings, motivations, and relationship quality change over the caregiving career.