Table 1. Characteristics of caregivers compared to non-caregivers.
| Variables | Caregivers (n = 1,782) |
Non-caregivers (n = 19,802) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| M (SD)a or % | M (SD)a or % | pb | |
| Age (range: 65–99 years) | 73.2 (6.2) | 73.8 (6.1) | < .001 |
| Gender (male) | 44.4 | 48.0 | .001 |
| Income c | .034 | ||
| 1st quartile | 18.5 | 19.8 | |
| 2nd quartile | 23.1 | 22.3 | |
| 3rd quartile | 19.4 | 19.9 | |
| 4th quartile | 24.2 | 21.3 | |
| Public assistance | 1.2 | 1.5 | |
| Missing | 13.6 | 15.1 | |
| Education | .001 | ||
| <10 years | 35.0 | 40.2 | |
| ≥10 years | 63.4 | 58.3 | |
| Missing | 1.7 | 1.6 | |
| Marital status | .001 | ||
| Married | 86.1 | 70.9 | |
| Not married | 10.4 | 26.7 | |
| Missing | 3.4 | 2.4 | |
| Work engagement | .039 | ||
| Yes | 20.4 | 22.9 | |
| No | 74.2 | 71.4 | |
| Missing | 5.3 | 5.6 | |
| Presence of disease | .292 | ||
| None | 14.9 | 14.5 | |
| One | 35.1 | 33.6 | |
| Two or more | 43.4 | 45.8 | |
| Missing | 6.5 | 6.2 | |
| GDSd | < .001 | ||
| <5 | 56.0 | 63.0 | |
| ≥5 | 26.4 | 21.1 | |
| Missing | 17.6 | 16.0 |
aM: mean; SD: standard deviation.
bDifferences in distributions between caregivers and non-caregivers were assessed using chi-squared tests. Difference in mean age were compared using t-tests.
c1st quartile: 3,180,000 JPY or higher; 2nd quartile: between 2,000,000 and 3,179,999 JPY; 3rd quartile: between 1,300,000 and 1,999,999 JPY; and 4th quartile: 1,299,999 JPY or lower. Public assistance group was independently categorized.
dGeriatric Depression Scale.