Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of the sample
Demographic variables (caregivers) | Stage 1 (N = 32) % (N) | Stage 2 (N = 198) % (N) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mean age (s.d.) | 62.9 (6.2) | 53.3 (12.5) | ||
Gender (% females) | 58 (19) | 76.5 (151) | ||
Relationship with the patient (%) | ||||
Parent | 3.1 (1) | 56.1 (111) | ||
Son/daughter | 12.5 (4) | 13.6 (27) | ||
Spouse/partner | 84.4 (27) | 24.7 (49) | ||
Other | – | 5.6 (11) | ||
Clinical variables (patient) | ||||
Mean years from diagnosis (s.d.) | 4.9 (5.3) | 11.4 (8.7) | ||
Patient’s main disease (%) | ||||
Pulmonary disease | 21.9 (7) | 38.4 (76) | ||
Alzheimer’s disease | 3.1 (1) | 9.1 (18) | ||
Diabetes | 34.4 (11) | 7.1 (14) | ||
Cystic fibrosis | – | 7.1 (14) | ||
Cardiovascular disease | 28.0 (9) | 4.5 (9) | ||
Rheumatoid arthritis | – | 5.1 (10) | ||
Cancer | 6.3 (2) | 4.5 (9) | ||
Dementia | 6.3 (2) | 3.5 (7) | ||
Connective tissue disease | – | 2.5 (5) | ||
Multiple sclerosis | – | 1.5 (3) | ||
Vasculitis | – | 1.5 (3) | ||
Other (various) | – | 15.2 (30) | ||