Table 1.
Characteristics of the family caregivers
| Sex of the family caregiver | Total sample | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | ||
| N = 203 | N = 511 | N = 714 | |
| Age in years – mean (SD) | 59.1 (14.6) | 56.5 (13.6) | 57.2 (13.9) |
| Age group | |||
| 18—35 | 16 (7.9%) | 42 (8.2%) | 58 (8.1%) |
| 36—54 | 54 (26.6%) | 170 (33.3%) | 224 (31.4%) |
| 55—65 | 52 (25.6%) | 151 (29.5%) | 203 (28.4%) |
| 65 + | 81 (39.9%) | 148 (29.0%) | 229 (32.1%) |
| Caregiving hours/week – mean (SD) | 21.3 (24.1) | 21.3 (24.5) | 21.5 (24.9) |
| Years as caregiver | |||
| < 1 year | 20 (9.9%) | 40 (7.8%) | 60 (8.4%) |
| 1–2 years | 16 (7.9%) | 26 (5.1%) | 42 (5.9%) |
| 2–5 years | 33 (16.3%) | 93 (18.2%) | 126 (17.6%) |
| 5–10 years | 40 (19.7%) | 108 (21.1%) | 148 (20.7%) |
| > 10 years | 94 (46.3%) | 244 (47.7%) | 338 (47.3%) |
| Education level | |||
| No Education | 9 (4.4%) | 20 (4.0%) | 29 (4.2%) |
| Compulsory school | 51 (25.1%) | 126 (25.0%) | 177 (25.4%) |
| High school/vocational school | 76 (37.4%) | 237 (47.1%) | 313 (45.0%) |
| Tertiary and higher | 57 (28.1%) | 120 (23.9%) | 177 (25.4%) |
| Working Status | |||
| Full-time | 56 (27.6%) | 35 (6.8%) | 91 (12.7%) |
| Part-time | 20 (9.9%) | 168 (32.9%) | 188 (26.3%) |
| In education | 2 (1.9%) | 9 (1.8%) | 11 (1.5%) |
| Unemployed | 11 (5.4%) | 15 (2.9%) | 26 (3.6%) |
| Works in family business | 1 (0.5%) | 21 (4.1%) | 22 (5.0%) |
| Protected job | 4 (2.0%) | 3 (0.6%) | 7 (3.1%) |
| Homemaker | 4 (2.0%) | 68 (13.3%) | 72 (10.1%) |
| Retired due to age | 3 (1.5%) | 1 (0.2%) | 4 (0.6%) |
| Other activity | 2 (1.0%) | 16 (3.1%) | 18 (2.5%) |
| Household Income | |||
| < 1500 CHF | 1 (0.5%) | 2 (0.4%) | 3 (0.5%) |
| 1500–3000 CHF | 18 (9.8%) | 31 (6.6%) | 49 (7.5%) |
| 3000–4500 CHF | 24 (13.1%) | 78 (16.7%) | 102 (15.7%) |
| 4500–6000 CHF | 43 (23.5%) | 98 (20.9%) | 141 (21.7%) |
| 6000–7500 CHF | 22 (12.0%) | 95 (20.3%) | 117 (18.0%) |
| 7500–9000 CHF | 28 (15.3%) | 66 (14.1%) | 94 (14.4%) |
| > 9000 CHF | 47 (25.7%) | 98 (20.9%) | 145 (22.3%) |
| Children in household | 2 (0.1%) | 9 (1.8%) | 11 (4.7%) |
| Marital status | |||
| Married/partner | 157 (77.3%) | 401 (78.5%) | 558 (78.2%) |
| No partnership | 39 (19.2%) | 105 (20.5%) | 144 (20.2%) |
| Relationship with cared-for person | |||
| Spouse/life partner | 144 (70.9%) | 393 (77.0%) | 537 (75.1%) |
| Child | 13 (6.4%) | 25 (4.9%) | 38 (5.3%) |
| Sibling | 6 (3.0%) | 15 (2.9%) | 21 (2.9%) |
| Mother/father | 22 (10.8%) | 72 (14.1%) | 94 (13.2%) |
| Other relatives | 5 (2.5%) | 3 (0.6%) | 8 (1.1%) |
| Has no external support | 58 (28.6%) | 156 (30.5%) | 214 (30.0%) |
| Has external support from | |||
| Relatives | 37 (18.2%) | 99 (19.4%) | 136 (19.0%) |
| Friends and others | 37 (18.2%) | 84 (16.4%) | 121 (16.9%) |
| Professional support | 71 (35.0%) | 172 (33.7%) | 243 (34.2%) |
| Health satisfactiona – mean (SD) | 7.2 (2.2) | 7.5 (2.1) | 7.4 (2.2) |
| Quality of life | |||
| Very good | 40 (19.7%) | 118 (23.1%) | 158 (22.1%) |
| Good | 113 (55.7%) | 280 (54.8%) | 393 (55.0%) |
| Neither nor | 39 (19.2%) | 94 (18.4%) | 133 (18.6%) |
| Bad | 5 (2.5%) | 5 (1.0%) | 10 (1.4%) |
| Very bad | 1 (0.5%) | 2 (0.4%) | 3 (0.4%) |
SD Standard deviation
aScale from 1 (worst) to 10 (best)