Table 2 CHE-s items’ overview

CHE_1

I feel in blackout

I feel alert

I am aware

I’m positive

CHE_2

I feel lost

I’m in alarm

I am conscious

I feel serene

CHE_3

I feel overwhelmed by emotions

I’m anxious every time a new symptom appears

I feel to have adjusted to my loved one’s illness

I have a sense of consistency and continuity in my life despite his/her illness

CHE_4

I feel totally crushed by the disease

I distress a lot when a new symptom appears

Overall I feel I have accepted his/her illness

I can make sense of my life despite his/her illness

CHE_5

I cannot understand what my loved one would need to get better

I understand what my loved one would need, but I cannot help him/her

I understand what my loved one would need and sometimes I can help him/her

I can anticipate the needs of my loved one and help him/her effectively

CHE_6

Right now I do not feel able to assist my loved one alone

Assisting my loved one absorbs my time and energy

I found an acceptable balance between the need for assistance of my loved-one and my daily activities

I feel able to manage my life projects and the assistance to my loved one in a renewed normality

CHE_7

I delegate to the health professionals the decisions related to the care of my loved one

I need constant confirmations by the health providers to make decisions about my loved one’s care

I can recognize when it is necessary to contact the health professionals to make a decision about his/her treatment

I actively collaborate with my loved one’s health professionals