Table 1.
Sociodemographic and medical data of the study sample
| Variables | Patients (N=85) | Caregivers (N=66) | Group differences | |
| N (%) / M (SD) | N (%) / M (SD) | T-test/ χ2 test value | ||
| Age in years | 62.8 (11.4) | 56.3 (12.7) | 3.24, p=0.002 | |
| Gender (male) | 56 (65.9%) | 19 (28.8%) | 20.45, p<0.001 | |
| Years of education | 9 | 52 (61.2%) | 33 (50%) | |
| 10 | 15 (17.9%) | 18 (27.3%) | ||
| 12–13 | 16 (18.8%) | 15 (22.7%) | 3.442, p=0.328 | |
| Working status | Working | 4 (4.8 %) | 39 (59.1%) | |
| Disability pension | 16 (18.8 %) | 3 (4.7%) | ||
| Pension | 37 (43.5 %) | 15 (23.4 %) | ||
| On sick leave | 21 (24.7 %) | 1 (1.6 %) | ||
| Unemployed | 1 (1.2 %) | 3 (4.7 %) | ||
| Homemaker | 5 (5.9 %) | 3 (4.7 %) | 64.85, p<0.001 | |
| Family status | Married | 53 (62.4 %) | 48 (72.7%) | |
| Divorced | 14 (16.5 %) | 3 (4.5%) | ||
| Single | 7 (8.2 %) | 11 (16.7%) | ||
| Widowed | 11 (12.9 %) | 4 (6.1%) | 9.278. p=0.026 | |
| Living together with partner (yes) | 62 (72.9 %) | 55 (83.3%) | 2.30, p=0.129 | |
| Children (yes) | 73 (85.9 %) | 53 (80.3%) | 0.837 p=0.360 | |
| Religious confession | Catholic | 15 (17.6 %) | 11 (16.7 %) | |
| Protestant | 55 (64.7 %) | 45 (68.2 %) | ||
| Other | 2 (2.4 %) | 3 (4.5 %) | ||
| None | 13 (15.4 %) | 7 (10.6 %) | 1.244, p=0.742 | |
| Relation to patient | Partner | 44 (66.7 %) | ||
| Son/daughter | 15 (22.7 %) | |||
| Parent | 1 (1.5 %) | |||
| Other | 6 (9.1 %) | |||
| Tumour group | Lung | 25 (29.4 %) | ||
| Gastrointestinal | 14 (16.5 %) | |||
| Hepatobiliary | 3 (3.5 %) | |||
| Urogenital | 8 (9.4 %) | |||
| Gynaecological | 7 (8.2 %) | |||
| ENT | 2 (2.4 %) | |||
| Brain tumour/medulloblastome | 4 (4.7 %) | |||
| Haematological | 10 (11.8 %) | |||
| Other | 12 (14.1 %) | |||
| Treatment | Chemotherapy | 72 (84.7 %) | – | |
| Radiation | 49 (57.6 %) | – | ||
| Surgery | 43 (50.6 %) | – | ||
| HADS Depression | 5.64 (3.21) | 6.67 (3.09) | −1.971, p=0.051 | |
| HADS Anxiety | 5.83 (3.49) | 8.97 (3.63) | −5.368, p<0.001 | |
ENT, ear, nose and throat; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.