Table 1.
Background characteristics of caregivers of people with mental illness in Jimma University Specialized Hospital, southwest Ethiopia, 2012
| Characteristic | Frequency | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||
| Male | 297 | 70.38 |
| Female | 125 | 29.62 |
| Marital status | ||
| Single | 105 | 24.88 |
| Married | 286 | 67.77 |
| Divorced | 14 | 3.32 |
| Widowed | 17 | 4.03 |
| Religion | ||
| Muslim | 266 | 63.03 |
| Orthodox | 104 | 24.64 |
| Other (Protestant, catholic) | 52 | 12.33 |
| Ethnicity | ||
| Oromo | 259 | 61.37 |
| Amhara | 66 | 15.64 |
| Other (Keffa, Dawro, Gurage) | 97 | 22.99 |
| Educational status | ||
| Could not read and write | 65 | 15.40 |
| Read and write only | 55 | 13.03 |
| Elementary | 112 | 26.54 |
| Secondary | 127 | 30.09 |
| Higher education | 63 | 14.93 |
| Occupation | ||
| Farmer | 153 | 36.26 |
| Government employee | 86 | 20.38 |
| Private enterprise | 79 | 18.72 |
| Housewife | 57 | 13.51 |
| Student | 34 | 8.06 |
| Other (house maid and unemployed) | 13 | 3.08 |
| Setting | ||
| Rural | 213 | 50.47 |
| Urban | 209 | 49.53 |
| Relationship with the patients | ||
| Parent | 106 | 25.12 |
| Son/daughter | 78 | 18.48 |
| Brother | 55 | 13.03 |
| Spouse | 51 | 12.09 |
| Sister | 18 | 4.27 |
| Other relative | 108 | 25.59 |
| Non-relative | 6 | 1.42 |
| Living together with the patient in the same household | ||
| Yes | 342 | 81.04 |
| No | 80 | 18.96 |