Table 1.
Participant characteristics
| Intervention group (n = 145) | Control group (n = 56) | Test valuea | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics of the informal caregivers | ||||
| Age, years | 59.6±11.9 | 63.8±11.8 | 2.250 | 0.026* |
| Male sex | 30 (20.7%) | 13 (23.2%) | 0.153 | 0.704 |
| Level of educationb | ||||
| Low | 23 (15.9%) | 7 (12.5%) | 0.407 | 0.816 |
| Medium | 52 (35.9%) | 20 (35.7%) | ||
| High | 70 (48.2%) | 29 (51.8%) | ||
| Time providing care a week, h | 47.2±60.1 | 78.6±65.4 | -3.232 | 0.001** |
| Relationship with the care receiver | ||||
| Spouse | 52 (36.1%) | 30 (53.6%) | 7.415 | 0.025* |
| Child | 67 (46.5%) | 23 (41.1%) | ||
| Other | 25 (17.4%) | 3 (5.3%) | ||
| Cohabiting with the care receiver | 46 (32.2%) | 32 (57.1%) | 10.532 | 0.002** |
| Characteristics of the persons with dementia | ||||
| Age, years | 78.8±8.4 | 78.1±8.0 | -0.551 | 0.583 |
| Male sex | 61 (42.7%) | 26 (47.3%) | 0.344 | 0.632 |
| Dementia diagnosis | ||||
| Alzheimer's dementia | 86 (59.3%) | 30 (58.8%) | 2.150 | 0.708 |
| Vascular dementia | 23 (15.9%) | 12 (23.5%) | ||
| PD | 3 (2.1%) | 1 (2.0%) | ||
| Other | 8 (5.5%) | 2 (3.9%) | ||
| No differential diagnosis | 25 (17.2%) | 6 (11.8%) | ||
| Time since diagnosis, years | 3.6±2.6 | 2.6±2.2 | 1.907 | 0.058 |
| Pre-intervention scores on the questionnaires | ||||
| IRI - Perspective Takingc | 17.7±4.0 | 17.4±4.4 | 0.498 | 0.619 |
| IRI - Empathic Concernc | 17.8±4.3 | 17.8±3.9 | –0.026 | 0.980 |
| HADS-Dd | 4.8±4.2 | 5.5±3.5 | –1.113 | 0.268 |
| HADS-Ad | 6.2±3.8 | 7.8±4.3 | –2.672 | 0.008** |
| CRA - Disruptione | 2.9±0.9 | 3.5±0.8 | –4.303 | <0.001** |
| CRA - Healthe | 2.4±0.8 | 3.0±0.9 | –4.609 | <0.001** |
| CRA - Supporte | 2.3±0.6 | 2.7±0.8 | –3.358 | 0.001** |
| CRA - Self-Esteeme | 3.8±0.6 | 3.7±0.6 | 1.139 | 0.256 |
| CRA - Financese | 2.3±0.6 | 2.6±0.8 | –2.493 | 0.014* |
| RQIf | 31.6±7.9 | 29.4±8.7 | 1.637 | 0.103 |
| QoR - Currentg | 13.2±2.9 | 13.4±3.0 | –0.393 | 0.695 |
| SSCQh | 27.3±5.0 | 24.1±5.5 | 3.851 | <0.001** |
Values are presented as mean ± SD or n (%). CRA, Caregiver Reaction Assessment; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; IRI, Interpersonal Reactivity Index; PD, dementia associated with Parkinson's disease; QoR, Quality of Relationship; RQI, Relationship Quality Index; SSCQ, Short Sense of Competence Questionnaire.
Test values for continuous outcomes: t values for normally distributed variables and standardized statistics for Mann-Whitney U-tests for non-normally distributed variables; for categorical values: Pearson x2 values.
Educational level according to Verhage 35, recoded as low (1–4), medium (5), or high (6–7).
Score range 0–28.
Score range 0–21.
Score range 1–5.
Score range 7–42.
Score range 4–20.
Score range 7–35.
p < 0.05,
p < 0.01.