Table 1.
Characteristics of Parents Who Lost a Child to Cancer 4 to 9 Years Earlier
| Characteristic | Bereaved Parents
|
|
|---|---|---|
| No. | % | |
| Identified as eligible in registries | 561 | |
| Reasons for no response | ||
| Refused to participate | 30 | 5 |
| Agreed but did not participate | 59 | 11 |
| Not reachable | 23 | 4 |
| Total nonresponders | 112 | 20 |
| Participating parents | 449 | 80 |
| Biological parent | 438 | 98 |
| Nonbiological parent | 9 | 2 |
| Not stated | 2 | < 1 |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 191 | 43 |
| Female | 251 | 56 |
| Not stated | 7 | 2 |
| Age, years | ||
| < 30 | 66 | 15 |
| 30-39 | 232 | 52 |
| ≥ 40 | 146 | 32 |
| Not stated | 5 | 1 |
| Marital status today | ||
| Married or living with the child's other parent | 329 | 73 |
| Married or living with another partner | 51 | 11 |
| Has a partner but lives alone | 17 | 4 |
| Single | 45 | 10 |
| Not stated | 7 | 2 |
| No. of children at child's diagnosis | ||
| 1 | 82 | 18 |
| 2 | 192 | 43 |
| 3 | 116 | 26 |
| ≥ 4 | 54 | 12 |
| Not stated | 5 | 1 |
| Level of education | ||
| Elementary school | 83 | 18 |
| Secondary school | 215 | 48 |
| University | 141 | 31 |
| Not stated | 10 | 2 |
| Employment status | ||
| Employed | 370 | 82 |
| Unemployed | 10 | 2 |
| On sick leave/retired | 36 | 8 |
| Housewife/husband | 5 | 1 |
| Home with children | 8 | 2 |
| Student | 14 | 3 |
| Not stated | 6 | 1 |
| Residential region | ||
| Rural | 99 | 22 |
| Village/town | 273 | 61 |
| Large city (> 500,000 inhabitants) | 68 | 15 |
| Not stated | 9 | 2 |