Table 1.
Descriptive variables for ET participants (n = 55) and caregivers (n = 55).
| ET participants | ET caregivers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Age in years | 76.9 ± 10.1 (56–97) | Age in years | 66.6 ± 12.7 (41–89) |
| Female gender | 35 (63.6%) | Female gender | 35 (63.6%) |
| White race | 53 (96.4%) | White race | 50 (90.9%) |
| Education in years | 16.5 ± 2.6 | Education in years | 16.3 ± 2.3 |
| # of prescription medications | 6.8 ± 10.8 | Caregiver relationship to ET participant | |
| Total tremor score | 23.1 ± 5.5 | Spouse | 31 (56.4%) |
| Tremor disability score | 14.2 ± 4.9 | Child | 16 (29.1%) |
| Age at onset of tremor in years | 41.4 ± 22.3 (5–78) | Friend | 4 (7.3%) |
| Tremor duration in years | 35.5 ± 21.5 (2–87) | Other (niece, daughter-in-law, girlfriend) | 4 (7.3%) |
| Head tremor on examination | 33 (60.0%) | Caregiver living with ET participant | 34 (61.8%) |
| Voice tremor on examination | 26 (47.3%) | Duration of care in years | 6.7 ± 12.0 (0–63) |
| # of falls in past year | 1.1 ± 2.5 | Total assistance tasks | 3.2 ± 3.0 (0–10) |
| GDS score | 6.3 ± 5.5 | Hours per week providing care | 5.1 ± 9.9 (0–40) |
| MoCA score | 24.8 ± 3.9 median = 26.0 | CES-D-10 score | 4.8 ± 4.8 |
| CDR | Finds caregiving rewarding? | ||
| 0 | 40 (72.7%) | Very rewarding | 26 (47.3%) |
| 0.5 | 12 (21.8%) | Somewhat rewarding | 19 (34.5%) |
| 1 | 2 (3.6%) | Not at all rewarding | 8 (14.5%) |
| 2 | 1 (1.8%) | Unknown | 2 (3.6%) |
| Physical suffering score | 6.9 ± 3.4 | Perceived physical suffering score | 7.6 ± 4.9 |
| Psychological suffering score | 8.3 ± 7.5 | Perceived psychological suffering score | 10.7 ± 9.3 |
| ZBI-12 score | 6.1 ± 8.2 (0–30) | ||
CDR, Clinical Dementia Rating; CES-D-10, Center for Epidemiological Studies Short Depression Scale; ET, essential tremor; GDS, Geriatric Depression Scale; MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment; ZBI-12, Short Zarit Burden Inventory.