This study explored the validity of the Caregiver Abuse Screen (CASE) as a brief measure of abuse/neglect of seniors. A group of abusive caregivers from the community was compared with two contrasting groups of non-abusive caregivers. The CASE distinguished between the abusive and each non-abusive group, while the non-abusive groups did not differ from each other. Higher CASE scores coincided with higher scores on abuse/aggression measures from independent sources; with caregiver personality traits; with appraisals of poorer caregiver/care-receiver relationships and more care-receiver problem behaviours, poorer caregiver health, more caregiver depression and less social support. Findings were interpreted as supporting the CASE's validity as an initial abuse screen for use with caregivers.
