Table 2.
Cross-country and overall demographic data for informal caregivers and their care recipients
| Greece | Israel | Italy | Netherlands | Poland | Sweden | UK | N | % or M(SD) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % or M(SD) | N | % or M(SD) | N | % or M(SD) | N | % or M(SD) | N | % or M(SD) | N | % or M(SD) | N | % or M(SD) | ||||
| Informal caregivers’ characteristics | |||||||||||||||||
| Age | 80 | 53.58 (11.48) | 125 | 50.85 (15.97) | 187 | 53.13 (10.91) | 189 | 57.69 (10.42) | 69 | 52.33 (11.95) | 90 | 60.97 (12.65) | 139 | 60.02 (11.49) | 879 | 55.66 (12.53) | |
| Gender | Female | 68 | 85% | 101 | 81% | 161 | 87% | 171 | 90% | 62 | 90% | 76 | 84% | 122 | 88% | 761 | 87% |
| Male | 12 | 15% | 24 | 19% | 24 | 13% | 17 | 9% | 7 | 10% | 14 | 16% | 16 | 12% | 114 | 13% | |
| Other | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 1% | 1 | 1% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 1% | 3 | 0% | |
| Education | Primary | 2 | 3% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2 | 1% | 0 | 0% | 3 | 3% | 1 | 1% | 8 | 1% |
| Secondary | 19 | 24% | 22 | 18% | 15 | 8% | 28 | 15% | 8 | 12% | 14 | 16% | 14 | 10% | 120 | 14% | |
| Post-secondary vocational education | 15 | 19% | 16 | 13% | 79 | 42% | 134 | 71% | 12 | 17% | 23 | 26% | 43 | 31% | 322 | 36% | |
| Post-secondary academic education | 43 | 54% | 87 | 70% | 93 | 50% | 23 | 12% | 41 | 59% | 47 | 52% | 80 | 58% | 414 | 47% | |
| Not listed or other | 1 | 1% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2 | 1% | 8 | 12% | 3 | 3% | 1 | 1% | 15 | 2% | |
| Employed | No | 31 | 39% | 46 | 37% | 93 | 50% | 97 | 51% | 30 | 44% | 48 | 53% | 92 | 66% | 437 | 50% |
| Yes | 49 | 61% | 79 | 63% | 94 | 50% | 92 | 49% | 39 | 56% | 42 | 47% | 47 | 34% | 442 | 50% | |
| Other informal caregiver(s) | No | 38 | 48% | 51 | 41% | 105 | 56% | 130 | 69% | 36 | 52% | 66 | 73% | 93 | 67% | 519 | 59% |
| Yes | 42 | 53% | 74 | 59% | 82 | 44% | 59 | 31% | 33 | 48% | 24 | 27% | 46 | 33% | 360 | 41% | |
| Provided care to other CR in the past | No | 46 | 58% | 80 | 64% | 125 | 67% | 74 | 39% | 45 | 65% | 63 | 70% | 75 | 54% | 508 | 58% |
| Yes | 34 | 43% | 45 | 36% | 62 | 33% | 115 | 61% | 24 | 35% | 27 | 30% | 64 | 46% | 371 | 42% | |
| Help and support from services | No | 51 | 64% | 59 | 48% | 111 | 59% | 91 | 50% | 51 | 74% | 54 | 60% | 100 | 73% | 517 | 60% |
| Yes | 29 | 36% | 63 | 52% | 76 | 41% | 92 | 50% | 18 | 26% | 36 | 40% | 37 | 27% | 351 | 40% | |
| Relationship of CG to CR | spouse/partner | 7 | 9% | 19 | 15% | 44 | 24% | 84 | 44% | 11 | 16% | 55 | 61% | 57 | 41% | 277 | 32% |
| parent/parent-in-law | 59 | 74% | 70 | 56% | 106 | 57% | 66 | 35% | 42 | 61% | 17 | 19% | 52 | 37% | 412 | 46% | |
| daughter/son | 6 | 8% | 5 | 4% | 24 | 13% | 17 | 9% | 2 | 3% | 13 | 14% | 15 | 11% | 82 | 10% | |
| another family member | 6 | 7.5% | 23 | 18.4% | 9 | 4.8% | 9 | 4.8% | 9 | 13.0% | 3 | 3.3% | 7 | 5.0% | 66 | 7.5% | |
| non-relative member | 2 | 3% | 8 | 6% | 4 | 2% | 13 | 7% | 5 | 7% | 2 | 2% | 8 | 6% | 42 | 5% | |
| Sharing the same household with CR | No | 37 | 46% | 82 | 66% | 62 | 33% | 87 | 46% | 29 | 42% | 26 | 29% | 42 | 30% | 365 | 41% |
| Yes | 43 | 54% | 43 | 34% | 125 | 67% | 102 | 54% | 40 | 58% | 64 | 71% | 97 | 70% | 514 | 59% | |
| Choice in taking on the responsibility of caring | No | 61 | 76% | 82 | 66% | 134 | 72% | 158 | 84% | 46 | 67% | 78 | 87% | 103 | 74% | 662 | 75% |
| Yes | 19 | 24% | 43 | 34% | 53 | 28% | 31 | 16% | 23 | 33% | 12 | 13% | 36 | 26% | 217 | 25% | |
|
Total period of caregiving in weeks (range in years) |
80 | 315.53 (0.01–49) | 125 | 243.49 (0.01–30) | 187 | 406.82 (0.8–50) | 189 | 397.00 (0.07–30) | 69 | 298.37 (0.17–43) | 90 | 310.27 (0.17–31) | 139 | 446.83 (0.05–41) | 879 | 361.10 (0.01–50) | |
| Total number of hours spent on caregiving per last week | 80 | 49.77 (44.78) | 125 | 30.93 (39.14) | 187 | 73.71 (70.41) | 189 | 40.70 (41.33) | 69 | 72.50 (56.10) | 90 | 49.05 (44.49) | 139 | 63.01 (48.03) | 879 | 54.04 (53.43) | |
| CG’s health condition | A physical impairment or disability | 6 | 8% | 20 | 16% | 11 | 6% | 30 | 16% | 2 | 3% | 13 | 14% | 20 | 14% | 102 | 12% |
| Sight or hearing loss | 1 | 1% | 13 | 10% | 7 | 4% | 15 | 8% | 1 | 1% | 13 | 14% | 12 | 9% | 62 | 7% | |
| A mental health problem or illness | 7 | 9% | 14 | 11% | 11 | 6% | 18 | 10% | 2 | 3% | 7 | 8% | 18 | 13% | 77 | 9% | |
| A learning disability or difficulty | 2 | 3% | 5 | 4% | 3 | 2% | 4 | 2% | 2 | 3% | 5 | 6% | 1 | 1% | 22 | 2% | |
| A long-standing illness | 12 | 15% | 10 | 8% | 22 | 12% | 30 | 16% | 18 | 26% | 15 | 17% | 26 | 19% | 133 | 16% | |
| Multimorbidity | 2 | 3% | 9 | 7% | 23 | 12% | 15 | 8% | 7 | 10% | 8 | 9% | 6 | 4% | 70 | 8% | |
| Other condition or disability | 7 | 9% | 11 | 9% | 22 | 12% | 28 | 15% | 2 | 3% | 14 | 16% | 19 | 14% | 103 | 12% | |
| No conditions or disabilities | 53 | 66% | 64 | 51% | 115 | 62% | 91 | 48% | 44 | 64% | 45 | 50% | 72 | 52% | 484 | 55% | |
| Care recipients’ characteristics | |||||||||||||||||
| Age of CR | 80 | 76.27 (18.72) | 125 | 73.97 (19.60) | 187 | 68.51 (20.66) | 189 | 65.99 (19.27) | 69 | 74.69 (14.48) | 90 | 64.72 (18.59) | 139 | 70.00 (19.43) | 879 | 69.78 (19.51) | |
| KATZ (ADL) score | 80 | 2.83 (2.30) | 125 | 3.38 (2.40) | 187 | 2.25 (2.17) | 189 | 3.56 (2.08) | 69 | 2.20 (2.20) | 90 | 3.42 (2.27) | 139 | 2.81 (2.13) | 879 | 2.93 (2.28) | |
| Gender | Female | 62 | 78% | 75 | 61% | 107 | 57% | 74 | 40% | 43 | 63% | 29 | 32% | 56 | 40% | 446 | 51% |
| Male | 18 | 23% | 49 | 40% | 80 | 43% | 113 | 60% | 25 | 37% | 61 | 68% | 83 | 60% | 429 | 49% | |
| Number of CR’s conditions | No physical/mental condition | 3 | 4% | 11 | 9% | 7 | 4% | 5 | 3% | 1 | 1% | 2 | 2% | 4 | 3% | 33 | 3% |
| Single health condition | 38 | 48% | 45 | 36% | 98 | 52% | 69 | 37% | 22 | 32% | 35 | 39% | 42 | 30% | 349 | 40% | |
| Multimorbidity | 39 | 49% | 69 | 55% | 82 | 44% | 115 | 61% | 46 | 67% | 53 | 59% | 93 | 67% | 497 | 57% | |
Abbreviations: CG– informal caregivers; CR– care recipients