TABLE 2.
Selected characteristics of parents at baseline (n=390)
| Demographic characteristic | Both parents | |
|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||
| Female | 249 (63.9) | |
| Male | 141 (36.1) | |
| Role in family | ||
| Mother | 248 (63.6) | |
| Father | 141 (36.2) | |
| Grandmother | 1 (0.3) | |
| Relationship to ill child | ||
| Biological parent | 371 (95.1) | |
| Adoptive parent | 12 (3.1) | |
| Step parent | 6 (1.5) | |
| Legal guardian | 1 (0.3) | |
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 38.4±8.2 | |
| Female | 37.2±8 | |
| Male | 40.5±8 | |
| Country of birth – Canadian cohort | ||
| Canada | 234 (71.1) | |
| Elsewhere | 95 (28.9) | |
| Length of time in Canada if immigrant, years, mean ± SD | 17.2±12.3 | |
| Country of birth – United States cohort | ||
| United States | 58 (95.1) | |
| Elsewhere | 3 (4.9) | |
| Highest level of education completed | ||
| < At least some university | 233 (59.7) | |
| At least some university | 157 (40.3) | |
| Importance of religion† | ||
| Very important | 188 (48.6) | |
| Of medium importance | 108 (27.9) | |
| Of little importance | 52 (13.4) | |
| Not at all important | 39 (10.1) | |
| If working, current job allows parent enough time to care for child† | ||
| Yes, completely | 130 (52) | |
| Only partially | 94 (37.6) | |
| No | 26 (10.4) | |
| Change to job status as result of child’s illness† | ||
| No | 187 (48.1) | |
| Yes | 202 (51.9) | |
| Hours/week giving care to child in past month (total for both children if 2 AC†), mean ± SD (n=377) | 85.9±58.5 | |
†
Numbers do not total to sample size because of missing data