Table 1.
Characteristics
| Informal caregivers | Female | Male | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex n (%) | 102 (86) | 16 (14) | 118 (100) |
| Age in years median (IQR) | 58.0 (52.0 – 64.0) | 60.5 (52.0 – 73.0) | 58.0 (52.0 – 64.0) |
| Caring activities for more than one person n (%) | 48 (47) | 7 (44) | 55 (47) |
| Caring efforta n (%) | |||
| low | 20 (20) | 6 (38) | 26 (22) |
| high | 82 (80) | 10 (62) | 92 (78) |
| Caring activitiesb n (%) | |||
| body care and hygiene | 75 (74) | 9 (56) | 84 (71) |
| household activities | 94 (92) | 16 (100) | 110 (93) |
| cooking | 83 (81) | 9 (56) | 92 (78) |
| feeding activities | 66 (65) | 9 (56) | 75 (64) |
| participation in society | 76 (75) | 10 (62) | 86 (73) |
| further activities | 52 (51) | 10 (62) | 62 (53) |
| Occupational balance median (IQR) | |||
| OBI-Care OAc | 29.0 (24.0 – 33.3) | 25.0 (19.3 – 30.0) | 29.0 (23.0 – 33.0) |
| OBI-Care OCc | 21.0 (18.8 – 24.0) | 19.0 (12.3 – 22.0) | 21.0 (18.0 – 24.0) |
| OBI-Care ORc | 18.0 (15.0 – 22.3) | 15.5 (10.5 – 19.0) | 18.0 (14.8 – 22.0) |
| Subjective health and well-being median (IQR) | |||
| SF-12 physical health | 47.4 (38.8 – 53.6) | 50.3 (46.8 – 56.4) | 48.0 (39.9 – 54.1) |
| SF-12 mental health | 40.5 (29.8 – 53.1) | 53.0 (37.9 – 55.1) | 42.7 (30.9 – 53.7) |
| STADI depressionc | 24.0 (18.3 – 28.0) | 17.0 (14.0 – 21.5) | 23.0 (18.0 – 28.0) |
| STADI anxiety | 21.0 (15.0 – 26.0) | 18.0 (14.8 – 27.0) | 20.5 (15.0 – 26.0) |
| RESTQ stress | 2.6 (1.7 – 3.5) | 2.4 (1.3 – 2.8) | 2.4 (1.6 – 3.4) |
| BSFC burdenc | 43.0 (31.9 – 55.0) | 37.5 (16.8 – 45.8) | 42.0 (29.8 – 54.0) |
| SSQ social support | 3.4 (2.9 – 4.0) | 3.6 (3.4 – 4.8) | 3.5 (3.0 – 4.1) |
| Persons to be cared for | |||
| Sex n (%) | 70 (59) | 48 (41) | 118 (100) |
| Age in years median (IQR) | 85 (76.0 – 89.3) | 76.5 (67.0 – 85.0) | 81 (71.0 – 87.3) |
| SCQ-D comorbidity median (IQR) | 10.0 (7.8 – 15.0) | 12.0 (7.5 – 19.8) | 11.0 (7.8 – 15.0) |
| SCQ-D health conditionsb n (%) | |||
| SCQ-D heart disease | 31 (44) | 16 (33) | 47 (40) |
| SCQ-D high blood pressure | 31 (44) | 25 (51) | 56 (48) |
| SCQ-D lung disease | 19 (27) | 16 (33) | 35 (30) |
| SCQ-D diabetes | 16 (23) | 19 (40) | 35 (30) |
| SCQ-D ulcer or stomach disease | 34 (49) | 18 (38) | 52 (44) |
| SCQ-D kidney disease | 13 (19) | 10 (21) | 23 (20) |
| SCQ-D liver disease | 4 (6) | 2 (4) | 6 (5) |
| SCQ-D anemia or other blood disease | 16 (23) | 9 (19) | 25 (21) |
| SCQ-D cancer | 9 (13) | 8 (17) | 17 (14) |
| SCQ-D depression | 37 (53) | 23 (48) | 60 (51) |
| SCQ-D osteoarthritis, generative arthritis | 22 (31) | 10 (21) | 32 (27) |
| SCQ-D backpain | 33 (47) | 20 (42) | 53 (45) |
| SCQ-D rheumatoid arthritis | 12 (17) | 3 (6) | 15 (13) |
| SCQ-D other medical problems | 46 (66) | 31 (65) | 77 (65) |
Abbreviations: a = single answer; b = multiple answers; c = significant gender differences; BSFC Burden Scale for Family Caregivers, OBI-Care Occupational Balance in Informal Caregivers Questionnaire, OA Occupational areas, OC Occupational characteristics, OR Occupational resilience, RESTQ Recovery-Stress Questionnaires, SF-12 12 Item Short Form Health Survey 36, SD Standard deviation, SCQ-D Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire – German, SSQ Social Support Questionnaire, STADI State-Trait Anxiety Depression Inventory