Table 3.
Illness-Related Factors Associated with Financial Strain and Stress among Households Affected by Cancer
| Variable | Financial Strain (N=176) | Financial Stress (N=158) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Burden | Minor Burden | ||||||||
| OR | 95% CI | P | OR | 95% CI | P | B | SE | P | |
| Cancer Care Experience | |||||||||
| Doctor paid attention to non-medical factors (Yes) | 1.07 | 0.41 – 2.78 | .891 | 0.99 | 0.39 – 2.50 | .975 | −0.46 | 0.20 | .025 |
| Received conflicting information (Yes) | 3.52 | 1.28 – 9.69 | .015 | 1.01 | 0.37 – 2.77 | .982 | 0.89 | 0.20 | <.001 |
| Had duplicate tests/diagnostic procedures (Yes) | 6.02 | 1.97 – 18.41 | .002 | 1.31 | 0.43 – 4.02 | .633 | 0.69 | 0.19 | <.001 |
| Important questions went unanswered (Yes) | 1.38 | 0.42 – 4.57 | .594 | 2.17 | 0.71 – 6.68 | .175 | 0.45 | 0.21 | .032 |
| Confusion about medication prescribed (Yes) | 3.61 | 1.22 – 10.69 | .020 | 0.65 | 0.24 – 1.79 | .406 | 0.49 | 0.20 | .016 |
| Cancer Treatment | |||||||||
| Radiation treatment (Yes) | 1.59 | 0.60 – 4.23 | .352 | 1.06 | 0.43 – 2.63 | .898 | 0.62 | 0.21 | .003 |
| Symptoms | |||||||||
| Severe pain (Yes) | 6.66 | 1.48 – 30.08 | .014 | 1.08 | 0.39 – 3.04 | .880 | 0.97 | 0.32 | .003 |
| Nausea (Yes) | 4.12 | 1.02 – 16.58 | .047 | 0.46 | 0.16 – 1.30 | .114 | 0.67 | 0.28 | .015 |
| Insurance Coverage | |||||||||
| Reached the limit of insurance coverage (Yes) | 21.23 | 2.98 – 151.32 | .002 | 29.40 | 4.34 – 199.39 | <.001 | 1.39 | 0.23 | <.001 |
| Effect on Income/Employment | |||||||||
| Unable to work or perform usual activities (Yes) | 3.79 | 0.69 – 20.87 | .126 | 0.55 | 0.16 – 1.82 | .324 | 0.96 | 0.31 | .002 |
| Loss or change of job in household (Yes) | 11.43 | 3.19 – 40.99 | <.001 | 0.17 | 0.04 – 0.73 | .017 | 0.64 | 0.20 | <.001 |
| Lowered household income (Yes) | 16.11 | 4.47 – 58.07 | <.001 | 0.59 | 0.19 – 1.84 | .364 | 1.18 | 0.22 | <.001 |
Note: Results are from a proportional odds ordinal logistic regression (for financial strain) and Poisson regression (financial stress). Models include adjustments for respondent age, gender, race, income, education, marital status, respondents’ relationship to the decedent, decedents’ age, gender and insurance coverage. For financial strain, absence of burden (i.e., a response of “not at all”) is the reference group. For all independent variables, findings refer to an affirmative (i.e., “yes”) response. Factors that were not associated with either financial stress or financial strain are excluded from the table. Non-significant factors included the following: cancer treatments of chemotherapy, prescription drugs, and surgery; having a negatively altered appearance due to cancer, and the presence of serious stress and anxiety.