Table 1 Baseline socio-demographic and clinical characteristics based on employment status of the study population (n = 1086)
Employed (n = 450) | Unemployed (n = 636) | P-valueb | |
|---|---|---|---|
Gender | 0.959 | ||
Female | 405 (90.0) | 573 (90.1) | |
Male | 45 (10.0) | 63 (9.9) | |
Age group, years | 0.004** | ||
≤ 40 | 123 (27.3) | 130 (20.4) | |
41–50 | 182 (40.4) | 246 (38.7) | |
> 50 | 145 (32.2) | 260 (40.9) | |
Age at onset, years | 0.002** | ||
Fatigue | 36 ± 10.3 | 37.8 ± 9.5 | |
Pain | 36.6 ± 10.2 | 38.4 ± 9.6 | |
Illness duration, years | 9 ± 7.6 | 10.5 ± 8.6 | 0.839 |
Comorbid conditionsa | |||
Fibromyalgia | 207 (46.0) | 394 (62.0) | < 0.001*** |
Degenerative vertebral disease | 220 (49.0) | 376 (59.3) | 0.001*** |
Epicondylitis | 187 (41.6) | 310 (48.9) | 0.018* |
Ligamentous hyperlaxity | 130 (28.9) | 235 (37.1) | 0.005** |
Multiple chemical hypersensitivity | 135 (30.1) | 230 (36.2) | 0.035** |
Carpal tunnel syndrome | 62 (13.8) | 122 (19.2) | 0.018* |
Marital status | 0.028** | ||
Married | 272 (60.6) | 428 (67.4) | |
Single | 107 (23.8) | 107 (16.9) | |
Separated/divorced | 60 (13.4) | 90 (14.2) | |
Widow | 10 (2.2) | 10 (1.6) | |
Profession | < 0.001*** | ||
Unskilled work | 213 (47.3) | 262 (41.2) | |
Skilled work | 105 (23.3) | 179 (28.1) | |
Administrative/office work | 92 (20.4) | 111 (17.5) | |
Education/teaching | 14 (3.1) | 15 (2.4) | |
Self-employed | 7 (1.6) | 7 (1.1) | |
Liberal profession | 16 (3.6) | 23 (3.6) | |
Arts and crafts | 1 (0.2) | 5 (0.8) | |
Student | 2 (0.4) | 1 (0.2) | |
Housewife | 0 (0) | 33 (5.2) | |
Educational level | 0.506 | ||
Elementary (primary) school | 69 (15.3) | 109 (17.1) | |
Graduate | 66 (14.7) | 105 (16.5) | |
High school/vocational training | 188 (41.8) | 248 (39.0) | |
University | 126 (28.0) | 169 (26.6) | |
Literate | 1 (0.2) | 5 (0.8) | |