Table 1. Overview of measured variables regarding patients’ and family caregivers’ experiences of stress, support and sense of security during palliative care asked during the interview.

Main Variables	Measures	Reference no
Sense of security with care1	Assessed with two (Care interaction; Mastery) of three validated subscales from The sense of security in care-Patients’ Evaluation instrument (SEC-P; 15 items) and The sense of security in care-Relatives’ Evaluation instrument (SEC-R; 17 items). Care interaction (SEC-P 3 items, SEC-R 4 items) and Mastery (8 items both from SEC-P and SEC-R); both 6-point scale: 1 (never) - 6 (always); (higher scores representing higher sense of security), mean values of subscales	[28,29]
Perceived stress1	Perceived stress: Two (of ten) items from the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (felt nervous and stressed; difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them); 5-point scale: 0 (never)– 4 (very often); (higher scores representing worse perceived stress), mean value	[30]
	Self-efficacy: One statement (of ten; I can solve most problems if I invest the necessary effort) from the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE); 4-point scale: 1 (not at all true)– 4 (exactly true); (higher scores representing higher self-efficacy).	[31]
Perception of support1	Quality of support scale: One (of 3 validated subscales) from the COPE questionnaire (i.e Do you feel supported by your family; by health and social services): 4 of 15 questions; 4-point scale: 1 (never)– 4 (always); (higher scores representing higher perceived support), sums for each subscale	[32]
Descriptive variables/ covariables
Demographics1	Age, gender, family caregiver’s relation to the patient
Attachment security1	The Experiences in Close Relationships scale (ECR-M16); 16 items to measure attachment anxiety (fear of rejection and abandonment) and avoidance (discomfort with closeness and dependence on close others) in close relationships (including non-romantic partners); 7-point scale: 1 (lower attachment insecurity) - 7 (greater attachment insecurity)	[33]
Health-related quality of life1	The EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), including five subscales: mobility, self-care, pain, usual activities, and psychological status; 3-point response scale: 1 (no problems) - 3 (severe problems). An index score was calculated for each respondent (–0.594 (worst possible health status)– 1.00 (best possible))	[34]
Patient symptom intensity2	The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)12 is a validated self-report tool. 9 common symptoms of advanced cancer (pain, tiredness, nausea, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, shortness of breath, appetite, well-being); 0–10 (higher scores representing worse symptom intensity). A total symptom distress score as a measure of overall symptom burden was calculated score (mean value of the nine symptoms).	[35]

¹Reported by patients and caregivers

²Reported by patients.