Table 2.
Characteristics of Participants who were Resilient or Not
| Characteristics | Resilienta (n=137) | Not Resilienta (n=102) | p-valueb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical function and recovery | |||
| Baseline SF36 physical function, mean (SD) | 74.5 (16.9) | 67.9 (19.8) | 0.01 |
| Pre-decline physical functionc, mean (SD) | 76.1 (17.3) | 72.7 (16.1) | 0.11 |
| Amount of decline in physical function, mean (SD) | 28.9 (16.0) | 24.4 (10.7) | 0.01 |
| Time at decline, mean (SD), mo | 10.6 (3.9) | 11.4 (4.3) | 0.17 |
| Recovered physical functiond, mean (SD) | 25.3 (15.0) | — | — |
| Time to recovery, No. (%): | |||
| 3 months | 106 (77.4) | — | — |
| 6 months | 19 (13.9) | — | — |
| 9 or more months | 12 (8.8) | — | — |
| Sociodemographics | |||
| Age, mean (SD), y | 73.3 (5.1) | 74.3 (5.3) | 0.15 |
| Female, No. (%) | 83 (60.6) | 58 (56.9) | 0.66 |
| Caucasian, No. (%) | 117 (85.4) | 85 (83.3) | 0.80 |
| Education, No. (%): | |||
| High school degree | 42 (29.1) | 23 (22.5) | |
| Vocational or some college | 36 (26.3) | 27 (26.5) | 0.54 |
| College degree or above | 48 (35.0) | 40 (39.2) | |
| Annual income, No. (%)e: | |||
| < $12,500 | 5 (3.6) | 7 (6.9) | |
| $12,500 - $30,000 | 51 (37.2) | 26 (25.5) | 0.50 |
| $30,001- $49,999 | 32 (24.4) | 29 (28.4) | |
| ≥ $50,000 | 38 (27.7) | 31 (30.4) | |
| Health | |||
| Baseline SF36 general health, mean (SD) | 69.5 (15.8) | 68.0 (17.0) | 0.38 |
| Baseline SF36 mental health, mean (SD) | 86.7 (11.5) | 83.4 (14.2) | 0.08 |
| Symptom count, mean (SD) | 4.9 (3.4) | 6.4 (3.9) | 0.02 |
| Body mass index, mean (SD), kg/m2 | 29.1 (3.4) | 29.9 (3.7) | 0.13 |
| Years since cancer diagnosis, mean (SD) | 8.4 (2.9) | 9.2 (2.6) | 0.047 |
| Cancer treatment, No. (%): | |||
| Chemotherapy | 43 (31.4) | 31 (30.4) | 0.98 |
| Radiation | 123 (89.8) | 90 (88.2) | 0.16 |
| Surgery | 77 (56.2) | 47 (46.1) | 0.87 |
| Smoking, No. (%) | 8 (5.8) | 5 (4.9) | 0.98 |
| Psychosocial factors | |||
| Baseline self-efficacy for strength exercise, No. (%): | |||
| Very sure or sure | 107 (78.1) | 68 (66.7) | |
| Somewhat sure | 20 (14.6) | 26 (25.5) | 0.10 |
| Unsure or very unsure | 10 (7.3) | 8 (7.8) | |
| Baseline self-efficacy for endurance exercise, No. (%): | |||
| Very sure or sure | 95 (69.3) | 55 (53.9) | |
| Somewhat sure | 25 (18.2) | 25 (24.5) | 0.04 |
| Unsure or very unsure | 17 (12.4) | 22 (21.6) | |
| Baseline social support for exercise, No. (%): | |||
| Very much or extremely | 104 (75.9) | 67 (65.7) | |
| Somewhat | 27 (19.7) | 22 (21.6) | 0.048 |
| Not at all or a little | 6 (4.4) | 12 (11.8) |
Abbreviations: SF36 = Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 Survey
Resilient participants recovered after declines. Recovery was defined as regaining at least 50% of physical function lost during decline, and minimum recovery was observed on at least 2 consecutive assessments.
Comparison of characteristics between “Resilient” and “Not Resilient” groups. As appropriate, we used t-test, χ2 test (for unordered categorical data), or Cochran-Armitage test for trend (for ordered categorical data).
Average of physical function scores observed at 2 assessments immediately preceding decline.
Difference between function at decline and average of physical function scores meeting recovery criteria.
Among those assessed for recovery, 20 (8.3%) had missing data for annual income--11 (8.0%) among those who were resilient and 9 (8.8%) for those who were not.