Table 2.
Demographic characteristics of the relatives and friends of 58 cancer patients who died by euthanasia in the University Medical Center Utrecht between 1992 and 1999 and of 114 control cancer patients who died from natural causes. Values are numbers (percentages) unless specified otherwise
|
Cause of death
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | Euthanasia (n=189) | Natural death (n=316) | P value of difference |
| Female | 102/189 (54) | 184/316 (58) | 0.4 |
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 48 (14) | 49 (14) | 0.4 |
| Religious | 89/184 (48) | 200/313 (64) | 0.01 |
| Relationship with dead patient: | |||
| Spouse
|
33/189 (17)
|
61/316 (19)
|
|
| Parent
|
4/189 (2)
|
4/316 (1)
|
|
| Offspring
|
56/189 (30)
|
117/316 (37)
|
<0.01 |
| Sibling
|
27/189 (14)
|
66/316 (21)
|
|
| Other | 69/189 (37) | 68/316 (22) | |
| Highest level of education: | |||
| Primary education
|
10/187 (5)
|
22/311 (7)
|
|
| Lower vocational education
|
14/187 (8)
|
48/311 (15)
|
|
| Lower or intermediate general education
|
26/187 (14)
|
58/311 (19)
|
<0.01 |
| Higher general education
|
28/187 (15)
|
32/311 (10)
|
|
| Intermediate vocational education
|
38/187 (20)
|
66/311 (21)
|
|
| Higher vocational education or university | 71/187 (38) | 85/311 (27) | |