Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics for Bereaved Spousal Caregivers and Matched Community Controls
| Caregivers (n = 31) |
Controls (n = 93) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Variable |
n (%) or M (SD) |
n (%) or M (SD) |
| Gender, female | 23 (74%) | 69 (74%) |
| Married a | 31 (100%) | 93 (100%) |
| Race, white | 31 (100%) | 87 (94%) |
| Age, years | 64.6 (9.3) | 67.6 (4.2) |
| Education, years | 13.7 (2.0) | 14.0 (2.4) |
| Personality, 1–5 scales | ||
| Big Five Domains | ||
| Neuroticism | 2.41 (0.65) | 2.24 (0.64) |
| Extraversion | 3.28 (0.59) | 3.40 (0.54) |
| Openness | 3.29 (0.50) | 3.22 (0.44) |
| Agreeableness | 3.89 (0.39) | 3.95 (0.41) |
| Conscientiousness | 4.04 (0.44) | 3.88 (0.53) |
| Interpersonal Orientation | 3.80 (0.34) | 3.86 (0.36) |
| Sociability | 3.18 (0.68) | 3.39 (0.65) |
| Prosocial Orientation | 4.02 (0.50) | 4.18 (0.43) |
| Nonantagonistic Orientation | 3.84 (0.44) | 3.83 (0.45) |
| Dependability | 4.15 (0.40) | 4.06 (0.54) |
a
Note All caregivers experienced the death of their partner during the study, whereas all controls remained continuously married throughout the duration of the study.