Table 3.
Patient and Caregiver Characteristics and Group Comparisons at Baseline
| Patients (n = 50)
|
Caregivers (n = 50)
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | Peer Helping + Coping Skills (n = 25) | Coping Skills (n = 25) | t-test/Fisher’s Exact Test p | Peer Helping + Coping Skills (n = 25) | Coping Skills (n = 25) | t-test/Fisher’s Exact Test p |
| Sex, n (%) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||||
| Male | 16 (64.00) | 15 (60.00) | 9 (36.00) | 8 (32.00) | ||
| Female | 9 (36.00) | 10 (40.00) | 16 (64.00) | 17 (68.00) | ||
| Age | 0.67 | 0.46 | ||||
| Mean | 58.88 | 57.48 | 55.32 | 52.40 | ||
| SD | 11.50 | 11.65 | 12.23 | 15.11 | ||
| Range | 41–82 | 33–81 | 35–83 | 21–73 | ||
| Race, n (%) | ||||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 21 (84.00) | 22 (88.00) | 1.00 | 22 (88.00) | 22 (88.00) | 1.00 |
| Missing | 1 (4.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | ||
| Employment status, n (%) | 0.38 | 0.86 | ||||
| Employed full or part-time | 9 (36.00) | 5 (20.00) | 15 (60.00) | 14 (56.00) | ||
| Retired | 9 (36.00) | 9 (36.00) | 6 (24.00) | 5 (20.00) | ||
| Unemployed | 7 (28.00) | 11 (44.00) | 4 (16.00) | 6 (24.00) | ||
| Household income, n (%) | 0.75 | 0.45 | ||||
| $0 – $50,999 | 7 (28.00) | 10 (40.00) | 6 (24.00) | 9 (36.00) | ||
| $51,000 – $99,999 | 10 (40.00) | 9 (36.00) | 8 (32.00) | 12 (48.00) | ||
| $100,000 or more | 6 (24.00) | 5 (20.00) | 7 (28.00) | 4 (16.00) | ||
| Missing | 2 (8.00) | 1 (4.00) | 4 (16.00) | 0 (0.00) | ||
| Years of education | 0.38 | 0.07 | ||||
| Mean | 14.96 | 14.28 | 15.16 | 14.04 | ||
| SD | 2.54 | 2.84 | 2.06 | 2.13 | ||
| Range | 11–20 | 9–21 | 12–19 | 11–19 | ||
| Caregiver relationship to the patient, n (%) | 0.32 | |||||
| Spouse/partner | — | — | 21 (84.00) | 17 (68.00) | ||
| Other family member | — | — | 4 (16.00) | 8 (32.00) | ||
| Caregiver lives with the patient, n (%) | 22 (88.00) | 20 (80.00) | 0.70 | |||
| Married/living with a partner, n (%) | 21 (84.00) | 17 (68.00) | 0.32 | 25 (100.00) | 21 (84.00) | 0.11 |
| Psychiatric medication, n (%)a | 13 (52.00) | 7 (28.00) | 0.15 | 7 (28.00) | 6 (24.00) | 1.00 |
| Psychotherapy/counseling, n (%)a | 2 (8.00) | 1 (4.00) | 1.00 | 0 (0.00) | 1 (4.00) | 1.00 |
| Study site, n (%) | 1.00 | |||||
| Indiana University Simon Cancer Center | 25 (100.00) | 24 (96.00) | ||||
| Roudebush VA Medical Center | 0 (0.00) | 1 (4.00) | ||||
| Type of gastrointestinal cancer, n (%) | 0.36 | |||||
| Colorectal | 10 (40.00) | 9 (36.00) | — | — | ||
| Pancreatic | 8 (32.00) | 5 (20.00) | — | — | ||
| Esophageal | 1 (4.00) | 5 (20.00) | — | — | ||
| Other | 6 (24.00) | 6 (24.00) | — | — | ||
| Time since diagnosis in years | 0.69 | |||||
| Mean | 1.63 | 1.43 | — | — | ||
| SD | 2.14 | 1.24 | — | — | ||
| Range | 0.18–10.27 | 0.18–4.79 | — | — | ||
| Treatments received, n (%) | ||||||
| Chemotherapy | 23 (92.00) | 24 (96.00) | 1.00 | — | — | |
| Radiation | 1 (4.00) | 5 (20.00) | 0.19 | — | — | |
| Surgery to remove primary tumor | 15 (60.00) | 13 (52.00) | 0.78 | — | — | |
| Surgery to remove metastases | 5 (20.00) | 7 (28.00) | 0.74 | — | — | |
| Targeted therapy | 8 (32.00) | 9 (36.00) | 1.00 | — | — | |
| Patient ECOG score | 0.26 | |||||
| Mean | 0.76 | 1.00 | — | — | ||
| SD | 0.78 | 0.71 | — | — | ||
| Range | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | — | ||
| Distress Thermometer score at screening | 0.61 | 0.53 | ||||
| Mean | 3.20 | 3.56 | 5.32 | 4.88 | ||
| SD | 2.75 | 2.10 | 2.51 | 2.46 | ||
| Range | 0–9 | 0–9 | 0–9 | 1–10 | ||
| Volunteer activity | 1.00 | 0.50 | ||||
| Mean | 0.92 | 0.92 | 0.72 | 0.92 | ||
| SD | 1.04 | 1.38 | 0.89 | 1.19 | ||
SD = standard deviation; ECOG = Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.
a
Treatment received in the past month at baseline.