Table 1.
Demographics and health characteristics (N=175).
| Characteristics | n | % | ||
| Age | ||||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 48.09 (9.04) |
|
|
|
|
Minimum | 23 |
|
|
|
|
Maximum | 71 |
|
|
| Education a | ||||
|
|
Elementary school | 5 | 2.9 | |
|
|
Secondary education | |||
|
|
|
Low | 29 | 16.6 |
|
|
|
Middle | 15 | 8.6 |
|
|
|
High | 2 | 1.1 |
|
|
Tertiary education | |||
|
|
|
Lowb | 10 | 5.7 |
|
|
|
Middle | 47 | 26.9 |
|
|
|
High | 55 | 31.4 |
|
|
|
Scientific degree | 12 | 6.9 |
| Working status | ||||
|
|
Not working | 90 | 51.4 | |
|
|
Working | 85 | 48.6 | |
| Illness stage | ||||
|
|
No cancer cells at the moment | 27 | 15.4 | |
|
|
Stage I (tumor smaller than 2 cm, no metastases to the lymph nodes) | 41 | 23.4 | |
|
|
Stage II (metastases to the lymph nodes in the armpit, or a tumor larger than 2 cm with no metastases) | 42 | 24.0 | |
|
|
Stage III (metastases to multiple lymph nodes or other lymph nodes) | 25 | 14.3 | |
|
|
Stage IV (metastases to other body parts) | 16 | 9.1 | |
|
|
Unknown | 24 | 13.7 | |
| Psychological help during period of illness | ||||
|
|
Yes | 69 | 39.4 | |
|
|
No | 106 | 60.6 | |
aLevels within the Dutch education system: education is divided over three schools for different age groups, which are divided in streams for different educational levels.
bDutch educational structure “LBO/LTS” existed until 1992.