Table 3.
Characteristics of informal caregivers at baseline and correlations with depressiveness
| t0 | r (p) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | n (%) / M (SD) | Depressiveness t0 | Depressiveness t12 | Depressiveness t12-t0 | |
| Informal caregivers | |||||
| Age a,b,c | 165 | 61.8 (12.9) | .08 (.331) | −.10 (.201) | −.19 (.017) |
| Female a c | 165 | 118 (71.5%) | −.20 (.010) | −.23 (.004) | −.05 (.567) |
| Relation to PWD (partner) a,b | 165 | .05 (.513) | −.14 (.067) | −.21 (.007) | |
| Child, relative, other | 86 (52.1%) | ||||
| Partner | 79 (47.9%) | ||||
| Same household as PWD | 165 | 105 (63.6%) | −.03 (.747) | .16 (.042) | −.15 (.058) |
| Highest school degree a | 164 | .05 (.554) | .16 (.037) | .13 (.098) | |
| No school degree | 1 (0.6%) | ||||
| Volksschule (primary school) | 34 (20.7%) | ||||
| Hauptschule (secondary school) | 48 (29.3%) | ||||
| Mittlere Reife (secondary school certificate) | 48 (29.3%) | ||||
| Fachhochschulreife (advanced technical college certificate) | 11 (6.7%) | ||||
| Abitur (high school certificate) | 22 (13.4%) | ||||
| Place of residence (rural) | 166 | −.21 (.008) | −.15 (.050) | .04 (.595) | |
| Urban | 112 (67.5%) | ||||
| Rural | 54 (32.5%) | ||||
| Social inclusion (LSNS) a | 118 | 30.5 (9.9) | .22 (.017) | .29 (.001) | .09 (.316) |
| ∆ Social inclusion (LSNS) a | 114 | −0.6 (8.3) | −.03 (.782) | .03 (.731) | .06 (.532) |
| Care contribution (RUD) a | 138 | 4.3 (1.11) | −.29 (.001) | −.19 (.024) | .06 (.486) |
| ∆ Care contribution (RUD) a | 121 | 0.2 (1.0) | .00 (.996) | .03 (.768) | .04 (.688) |
| Caregiver burden (BSFC-s) | 162 | 11.5 (7.9) | −.57 (< .001) | −.46 (< .001) | .07 (.388) |
| Comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index) | 124 | 0.6 (1.0) | −.10 (.274) | −.12 (.203) | −.03 (.774) |
| Depressiveness (WHO-5) c | 166 | 51.2 (23.6) | . | .55 (< .001) | −.41 (< .001) |
PWD person/people with dementia. ∆ = change t12-t0. a = considered for the regression model according to Pearlin‘s stress process model. b variable congruent with Pearlin’s stress process model included in the regression model as predictor due to significant correlation. c variable added to the regression model as predictor due to methodological considerations. Correlation coefficients (r) used: Pearson for interval scale variables, Spearman for ordinal scale variables. Bold = significant on the level p < .05