Table 1.
Characteristics of the informal caregivers
| Characteristic | Total (n = 386) |
|---|---|
| Age, M (SD) | 61.3 (12.2) |
| Women, number (%) | 295 (76.4) |
| Gainfully employed, number (%) | 157 (40.7) |
| Highest educational qualification, number (%) | |
| University degree | 39 (10.1) |
| Advanced school-leaving examination (Abitur)/technical Abitur | 32 (8.3) |
| “Realschule” (Middle School) | 201 (52.1) |
| Primary school/“Hauptschule” (lower secondary school) | 112 (29.0) |
| No school-leaving qualification | 2 (0.5) |
| Relationship (to care recipient is …), number (%) | |
| Father/Mother | 188 (48.7) |
| Father-/Mother-in-law | 46 (11.9) |
| Spouse or life companion | 136 (35.2) |
| Other relative | 12 (3.1) |
| Not a relative (friend, acquaintance, neighbor) | 4 (1.0) |
| Living together, number (%) | 270 (69.9) |
| Duration of care in months, M (SD) | 52.8 (51.5) |
| BSFC-s, M (SD) (range: 0 to 30) | 16.1 (7.8) |
| CarerQol, M (SD) (range: 0 to 14) | 7.9 (2.8) |
| CSI, M (SD) (range: 0 to 13) | 7.4 (2.8) |
| PHQ-9, M (SD) (range: 0 to 27) | 8.0 (5.1) |
| GBB-24, M (SD) (range: 0 to 96) | 27.2 (17.1) |
| BIZA-D, M (SD) (range: 0 to 20) | 12.3 (3.8) |
| ADLs, M (SD) (range: 0 to 17) | 3.1 (2.2) |
| IADLs, M (SD) (range: 0 to 17) | 3.4 (2.2) |
Note. M mean, SD standard deviation, range the possible ranges of each scale, BSFC-s short version of the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers, CSI Caregiver Strain Index, CarerQol Care-related Quality of Life instrument, BIZA-D Berlin Inventory of Caregivers’ Burden with Dementia Patients, PHQ-9 Depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire, GBB-24 Giessen Subjective Complaints List (short form), ADLs Activities of Daily Living, IADLs Instrumental Activities of Daily Living