Table 1.
Sample characteristics of parents (N = 200), place of death and age of child (N = 124)
| Characteristics | Cardiology | Neonatology | Neurology | Oncology | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 26 | n = 81 | n = 48 | n = 45 | N = 200 | |
| (13 %) | (41 %) | (24 %) | (22 %) | (100 %) | |
| Agea, M (SD) | 40 (6.48) | ||||
| Mothers, | |||||
| n = 112 (56 %) | 38 (4.38) | 37 (4.29) | 41 (6.07) | 43 (7.30) | 39 (6.05) |
| Fathers, | |||||
| n = 88 (44 %) | 40 (6.88) | 39 (5.77) | 42 (6.56) | 48 (5.85) | 42 (6.83) |
| Language, n ( %) | |||||
| German | 21 (80.8) | 66 (81.5) | 44 (91.7) | 31 (68.9) | 162 (81.0) |
| French | 5 (19.2) | 9 (11.1) | 3 (6.3) | 12 (26.7) | 29 (14.5) |
| Italian | 0 (0.0) | 6 (7.4) | 1 (2.1) | 2 (4.4) | 9 (4.5) |
| Marital status, n (%) | n = 80 | N = 199 | |||
| Married/Partnership | 22 (84.6) | 79 (98.8) | 43 (89.6) | 41 (91.1) | 185 (93.0) |
| Divorced/Separated | 4 (15.4) | 1 (1.3) | 4 (8.3) | 2 (4.4) | 11 (5.5) |
| Single | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.1) | 2 (4.4) | 3 (1.5) |
| Religious affiliation, n (%) | n = 80 | n = 44 | N = 198 | ||
| Catholic | 7 (26.9) | 37 (46.3) | 21 (43.8) | 14 (31.8) | 79 (39.9) |
| Protestant | 7 (26.9) | 25 (31.3) | 17 (35.4) | 15 (34.1) | 64 (32.3) |
| None | 8 (30.8) | 12 (15.0) | 3 (6.3) | 10 (22.7) | 33 (16.7) |
| Other | 4 (15.4) | 6 (7.5) | 7 (14.6) | 5 (11.4) | 22 (11.1) |
| Education, n (%) | |||||
| School levelsb | 0 (0.0) | 2 (2.5) | 1 (2.1) | 5 (11.1) | 8 (4.0) |
| Post school educationc | 11 (42.3) | 39 (48.1) | 19 (39.6) | 20 (44.4) | 89 (44.5) |
| Tertiary leveld | 10 (38.5) | 15 (30.9) | 22 (45.8) | 16 (35.6) | 73 (36.5) |
| University degree | 5 (19.2) | 15 (18.5) | 6 (12.5) | 4 (8.9) | 30 (15.0) |
| Employment status at death of the child | |||||
| Working | 10 (38.5) | 41 (50.6) | 28 (58.3) | 16 (35.6) | 95 (47.5) |
| Off worke | 16 (61.5) | 40 (49.4) | 20 (41.7) | 29 (64.4) | 105 (52.5) |
| Employment status at time of the survey | |||||
| Working | 19 (73.1) | 65 (80.2) | 43 (89.6) | 39 (86.7) | 166 (83.0) |
| Off worke | 7 (26.9) | 16 (19.8) | 5 (10.4) | 6 (13.3) | 34 (17.0) |
| Family incomef, n (%) | n = 19 | n = 66 | n = 44 | n = 40 | N = 169 |
| ≤ CHF 100,000.- | 9 (47.4) | 33 (50.0) | 17 (38.6) | 24 (60.0) | 83 (49.1) |
| > CHF 101,000.- | 10 (52.6) | 33 (50.0) | 27 (61.4) | 16 (40.0) | 86 (50.9) |
| Deceased child was the only child, Yes (%) | 1 (3.8) | 13 (16.0) | 6 (12.5) | 4 (8.9) | 24 (12.0) |
| Previous loss of a child, Yes (%) | 4 (15.4) | 6 (7.4) | 5 (10.4) | 2 (4.4) | 17 (8.5) |
| Place of death | n = 16 | n = 51 | n = 29 | n = 28 | N = 124 |
| Intensive care unit | 10 (62.5) | 47 (92.1) | 13 (44.8) | 5 (17.8) | 75 (60.5) |
| Hospital | 2 (12.5) | 0 (0.0) | 8 (27.6) | 11 (39.3) | 21 (16.9) |
| Home | 3 (18.8) | 3 (5.9) | 6 (20.7) | 11 (39.3) | 23 (18.6) |
| Somewhere else | 1 (6.2) | 1 (2.0) | 2 (6.9) | 1 (3.6) | 5 (4.0) |
| Deceased child’s age | |||||
| in days, Mdn (range) | 5 (1–26) | Na | |||
| in years, Mdn (range) | 0.5 (0.1–9.1) | 4.8 (0.1–17.2) | 8.0 (1.7–17.4) | 3.3 (0.1–17.4) |
Note. Na = not applicable
aAge at the time of the survey. bConsists of primary and secondary level. cConsists of college and vocational education. dConsists of degrees from schools of higher education. eConsists of being on sick leave, on unpaid leave, being unemployed or in educational training. fAnnual gross pay, Swiss average lies at CHF 143,000.- [45]