Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics of Caregivers by Mortality and Unadjusted Effects-Cox Proportional Hazards Model of Time to Caregiver Death
| Living (n = 3,389) | Deceased (n = 258) | p Valuea | HRb | 95% CI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, M (SD) | 62.6 (8.7) | 70.0 (9.6) | <.0001 | 1.09 | (1.07, 1.10) |
| Sex, n (%) | <.0001 | ||||
| Male | 1,199 (35.4) | 159 (61.6) | 2.46 | (1.91, 3.17) | |
| Female | 2,190 (64.6) | 99 (38.4) | Referent | ||
| Race, n (%) | .008 | ||||
| African American | 1,470 (43.4) | 134 (51.9) | 1.49 | (1.16, 1.90) | |
| Caucasian | 1,919 (56.6) | 124 (48.1) | Referent | ||
| Education, n (%) | <.0001 | ||||
| Less than HS | 345 (10.2) | 55 (21.3) | 2.78 | (1.96, 3.95) | |
| HS graduate | 827 (24.4) | 60 (23.3) | 1.31 | (0.93, 1.85) | |
| Some college | 979 (28.9) | 71 (27.5) | 1.28 | (0.92, 1.79) | |
| College grade and above | 1,236 (36.5) | 72 (27.9) | Referent | ||
| Income, n (%) | <.0001 | ||||
| Refused | 397 (11.7) | 32 (12.4) | 2.22 | (1.25, 3.92) | |
| Less than $20,000 | 564 (16.6) | 57 (22.1) | 2.68 | (1.59, 4.51) | |
| $20,000–$34,000 | 827 (24.4) | 94 (36.4) | 2.97 | (1.82, 4.87) | |
| $35,000–$74,000 | 1,076 (31.8) | 56 (21.7) | 1.40 | (0.83, 2.35) | |
| $75,000 and above | 525 (15.5) | 19 (7.36) | Referent | ||
| Hypertension, n (%) | .0001 | ||||
| Yes | 1,922 (56.9) | 178 (69.3) | 1.66 | (1.27, 2.17) | |
| No | 1,457 (43.1) | 79 (30.7) | Referent | ||
| Cardiac disease, n (%) | <.0001 | ||||
| Yes | 321 (9.6) | 57 (22.4) | 2.53 | (1.88, 3.41) | |
| No | 3,016 (90.4) | 197 (77.6) | Referent | ||
| Diabetes, n (%) | <.0001 | ||||
| Yes | 638 (19.4) | 84 (34.9) | 2.28 | (1.75, 2.97) | |
| No | 2,656 (80.6) | 157 (65.2) | Referent | ||
| Stroke, n (%) | <.0001 | ||||
| Yes | 131 (3.9) | 33 (12.9) | 3.18 | (2.21, 4.59) | |
| No | 3,256 (96.1) | 223 (87.1) | Referent | ||
| Self-rated health, M (SD)c | 2.59 (1.01) | 2.94 (1.11) | <.0001 | 1.44 | (1.28, 1.62) |
| CES-D-4, M (SD) | 1.40 (2.34) | 1.30 (2.15) | .08 | 1.01 | (0.95, 1.06) |
| Live w/CR, n (%) | .0002 | ||||
| Yes | 1,762 (52.0) | 165 (64.0) | 1.71 | (1.32, 2.20) | |
| No | 1,627 (48.0) | 93 (36.1) | Referent | ||
| Relationship of CR to CG, n (%) | <.0001 | ||||
| Spouse | 785 (23.2) | 84 (32.6) | Referent | ||
| Parent | 1,191 (35.2) | 38 (14.7) | 0.30 | (0.21, 0.44) | |
| Child | 402 (11.9) | 54 (21.0) | 1.22 | (0.86, 1.71) | |
| Sibling | 288 (8.5) | 29 (11.2) | 0.90 | (0.59, 1.38) | |
| Other | 714 (21.1) | 53 (20.5) | 0.71 | (0.50, 0.995) | |
| Hours of care per week, n (%) | .01 | ||||
| Missing | 385 (11.4) | 47 (18.2) | 1.52 | (1.05, 2.20) | |
| <10 | 1,175 (34.7) | 74 (28.7) | 0.74 | (0.53, 1.03) | |
| 10–19 | 536 (15.8) | 35 (13.6) | 0.77 | (0.52, 1.16) | |
| 20–29 | 377 (11.1) | 31 (12.0) | 1.01 | (0.66, 1.54) | |
| >30 | 916 (27.0) | 71 (27.5) | Referent | ||
| Level of strain, n (%)d | .005 | ||||
| No strain | 1,116 (33.0) | 102 (40.0) | 1.08 | (0.77, 1.51) | |
| Some strain | 1,705 (50.5) | 101 (39.6) | 1.59 | (1.14, 2.23) | |
| A lot of strain | 557 (16.5) | 52 (20.4) | Referent |
Note. HS = high school; CR = care recipient; CG = caregiver; CI = confidence interval; HR = hazard ratio.
ap Values from chi square or t tests.
bHRs from bivariate proportional hazards model.
cHigher levels indicate worse self-rated health.
dHRs are inverted for level of strain (i.e., a lot of strain vs. no strain and a lot of strain vs. some strain).