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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2026 Apr 28.
Published in final edited form as: Dementia (London). 2024 Aug 5;23(8):1307–1326. doi: 10.1177/14713012241270730

Table 2.

Average confidence scores for each financial topic overall, by income, education, relationship type, and by years of caregiving experience.

Characteristic Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Overall mean Overall SD
Mean confidence 2.88 4.07 3.86 2.69 2.86 2.05 2.51 2.82 3.25 2.88 2.33 2.72 2.91 .58
Standard deviation 1.33 1.17 1.37 1.41 1.41 1.27 1.31 1.43 1.35 1.33 1.37 1.35 1.34
Care partner annual income (in thousands of USD)
 <40 2.48 3.90 3.44 2.71 2.94 1.96 2.58 2.52 3.04 2.67 2.06 2.52 2.73 0.54
 40 – 100 2.93 4.00 3.76 2.63 2.81 2.15 2.55 2.88 3.21 2.94 2.36 2.84 2.92 0.53
 >100 3.13 4.29 4.21 2.99 3.13 2.01 2.54 3.07 3.57 3.01 2.60 2.79 3.11 0.66
 No answer 2.76 4.16 4.22 2.41 2.43 1.81 2.19 2.49 3.03 2.68 2.00 2.32 2.71 0.76
 Kruskal-Wallis p-value 0.02* 0.15 0.02* 0.21 0.28 0.63 0.94 0.12 0.05 0.35 0.19 0.34 0.16
 Difference between <40 and 40–100 0.45 0.10 0.32 −0.08 −0.13 0.19 −0.03 0.36 0.17 0.27 0.30 0.32 0.19
 Difference between 40–100 and >100 0.20 0.29 0.45 0.36 0.32 −0.14 −0.01 0.19 0.36 0.08 0.24 −0.05 0.19
 Difference between <40 and >100 0.65* 0.40 0.77* 0.28 0.19 0.06 −0.04 0.55 0.53 0.35 0.53 0.27 0.38
Years of caregiving experience
 <2 2.74 3.73 3.35 2.51 2.58 2.06 2.35 2.48 2.90 2.47 2.20 2.52 2.6564 0.47
 2–4 3.00 3.93 3.79 2.76 3.03 2.09 2.46 2.81 3.38 3.06 2.23 2.63 2.9292 0.57
 >4 2.90 4.32 4.17 2.76 2.91 2.03 2.62 3.01 3.36 3.01 2.45 2.88 3.0334 0.65
 Kruskal-Wallis p-value 0.45 0.00*** 0.00*** 0.46 0.11 0.71 0.41 0.03* 0.02* 0.00** 0.50 0.16 0.01*
 Difference between <2 and 2–4 0.26 0.20 0.44 0.26 0.44 0.03 0.12 0.33 0.47* 0.59* 0.03 0.11 0.27
 Difference between 2–4 and >4 −0.10 0.39* 0.38 0.00 −0.11 −0.06 0.16 0.19 −0.02 −0.06 0.22 0.25 0.10
 Difference between <2 and >4 0.16 0.59*** 0.83*** 0.25 0.33 −0.04 0.28 0.52* 0.46* 0.54* 0.25 0.36 0.38*
Relationship to person living with dementia
 Child CP 2.94 3.84 3.78 2.68 2.84 1.98 2.41 2.66 3.10 2.70 2.34 2.60 2.82
 Spousal CP 2.69 4.56 4.25 2.57 2.83 1.95 2.51 3.01 3.54 3.06 2.09 2.79 2.99
 Other 3.15 3.83 3.23 3.08 3.00 2.60 2.95 3.05 3.15 3.23 2.90 3.10 3.10
 Kruskal-Wallis p-value 0.12 0.00*** 0.00*** 0.14 0.78 0.02* 0.07 0.11 0.02* 0.02* 0.01* 0.1088 0.2511
 Difference between care partner of parent versus spouse −0.25 0.72*** 0.47** −0.11 0.00 −0.03 0.10 0.35 0.44 0.35 −0.25 0.20 0.16
 Difference between care partners of spouse versus other −0.46 0.73*** 1.03*** −0.51 −0.17 −0.65* −0.44 −0.04 0.39 −0.17 −0.81* −0.31 −0.12
 Difference between care partners of parent versus other −0.21 0.02 0.56* −0.39 −0.16 −0.62* −0.54 −0.39 −0.05 −0.52 −0.56 −0.50 −0.28
Education
 High school diploma or less 2.55 4.68 4.00 2.58 3.10 1.97 2.35 3.13 3.13 2.94 2.32 2.74 2.96 0.75
 4-year college 2.93 3.88 3.74 2.66 2.82 2.11 2.60 2.78 3.22 2.88 2.39 2.80 2.90 0.51
 Post-college 2.90 4.27 4.09 2.80 2.85 1.96 2.38 2.81 3.33 2.87 2.20 2.56 2.92 0.69
 Kruskal Wallace p-value 0.34 0.00*** 0.06 0.67 0.63 0.56 0.29 0.45 0.71 0.97 0.55 0.36 0.94 0.34
 Difference between high school and college 0.38 −0.80*** −0.26 0.08 −0.28 0.14 0.25 −0.35 0.09 −0.05 0.07 0.06 −0.06
 Difference between college and post-college −0.02 0.39* 0.35 0.13 0.03 −0.15 −0.22 0.03 0.11 −0.01 −0.19 −0.23 0.02
 Difference between high school and post-college 0.36 −0.41 0.09 0.22 −0.25 −0.01 0.03 −0.32 0.20 −0.06 −0.12 −0.18 −0.04
- *

p < .05, two-tailed.

- **

p < .01, two-tailed.

- ***

p < .001, two-tailed.

- Note. Response options were 1 (not at all confident); 2 (slightly confident); 3 (somewhat confident); 4 (fairly confident) to 5 (extremely confident).

- Survey items were as follows.

- Q1: if there will be enough money to provide care.

- Q2: the location of a family member’s financial accounts.

- Q3: if a family member has been working with a financial planner or other financial professional.

- Q4: if family members or friends can be paid for caregiving.

- Q5: how caregiving may impact your own finances.

- Q6: what tax deductions are available to cut care costs.

- Q7: about sources of money from government programs that a family member is eligible for such as Veterans Affairs and Military Benefits, Social Security Disability, etc.

- Q8: about sources of money from life and long term care insurance policies.

- Q9: about sources of money from retirement accounts.

- Q10: about care budgeting and planning.

- Q11: the options when there is not enough money to provide care.

- Q12: the differences between Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid programs (eligibility, benefits, providers, costs, etc.).