Table 3.
Patient and caregiver characteristics and group comparisons at baseline.
| Patients (n = 40) | Caregivers (n = 40) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | ACT (n = 20) | Education/Support (n = 20) | t-test/Fisher’s Exact Test p | ACT (n = 20) | Education/Support (n = 20) | t-test/Fisher’s Exact Test p |
| Gender, n (%) | 0.75 | 0.27 | ||||
| Male | 10 (50) | 8 (40) | 3 (15) | 7 (35) | ||
| Female | 10 (50) | 12 (60) | 17 (85) | 13 (65) | ||
| Age | 0.74 | 0.16 | ||||
| Mean | 59.25 | 57.85 | 55.55 | 48.60 | ||
| SD | 9.96 | 15.71 | 14.87 | 15.80 | ||
| Range | 42 – 75 | 25 – 75 | 27 – 83 | 25 – 76 | ||
| Race and ethnicity, n (%) | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 19 (95) | 19 (95) | 18 (90) | 19 (95) | ||
| Employment status, n (%) | 0.53 | 0.11 | ||||
| Employed full or part-time | 6 (30) | 6 (30) | 9 (45) | 14 (70) | ||
| Retired | 6 (30) | 9 (45) | 8 (40) | 5 (25) | ||
| Unemployed | 7 (35) | 3 (15) | 0 (0) | 1 (5) | ||
| Other | 1 (5) | 2 (10) | 3 (15) | 0 (0) | ||
| Household income US$, n (%)a | 0.71 | 0.45 | ||||
| $0 – $50,999 | 5 (25) | 7 (35) | 5 (25) | 6 (30) | ||
| $51,000 – $99,999 | 5 (25) | 3 (15) | 9 (45) | 5 (25) | ||
| $100,000 or more | 10 (50) | 9 (45) | 6 (30) | 9 (45) | ||
| Missing | 0 (0) | 1 (5) | --- | --- | ||
| Years of education | 0.34 | 0.79 | ||||
| Mean | 15.48 | 14.70 | 15.23 | 15.45 | ||
| SD | 2.66 | 2.45 | 2.67 | 2.61 | ||
| Range | 12 – 23 | 12 – 20 | 11 – 20 | 12 – 20 | ||
| Caregiver relationship to the patient, n (%) | 1.00 | |||||
| Spouse/partner | --- | --- | 12 (60) | 13 (65) | ||
| Other family member | --- | --- | 8 (40) | 7 (35) | ||
| Married/living with a partner, n (%) | 15 (75) | 15 (75) | 1.00 | 15 (75) | 17 (85) | 0.70 |
| Caregiver lives with the patient, n (%) | --- | --- | 15 (75) | 15 (75) | 1.00 | |
| Type of gastrointestinal cancer, n (%) | 0.29 | |||||
| Colorectal | 10 (50) | 6 (30) | --- | --- | ||
| Pancreatic | 3 (15) | 7 (35) | --- | --- | ||
| Other (e.g., stomach, liver, anal) | 7 (35) | 7 (35) | --- | --- | ||
| Time since diagnosis in years | 0.43 | |||||
| Mean | 2.40 | 1.67 | --- | --- | ||
| SD | 2.36 | 3.30 | --- | --- | ||
| Range | 0.13 – 9.48 | 0.12 – 15.04 | --- | --- | ||
| Treatments received, n (%) | ||||||
| Chemotherapy | 15 (75) | 17 (85) | --- | --- | ||
| Radiation | 2 (10) | 6 (30) | --- | --- | ||
| Chemoradiation | 5 (25) | 4 (20) | --- | --- | ||
| Surgery to remove primary tumor | 12 (60) | 11 (55) | --- | --- | ||
| Surgery to remove metastases | 7 (35) | 4 (20) | --- | --- | ||
| Targeted therapy | 9 (45) | 5 (25) | ||||
| Patient ECOG score | 0.85 | |||||
| Mean | 1.40 | 1.45 | --- | --- | ||
| SD | 0.82 | 0.89 | --- | --- | ||
| Range | 0 – 3 | 0 – 3 | --- | --- | ||
| Number of comorbidities | 0.81 | 0.53 | ||||
| Mean | 1.35 | 1.45 | 1.05 | 0.80 | ||
| SD | 0.93 | 1.61 | 1.47 | 1.01 | ||
| Range | 0 – 3 | 0 – 5 | 0 – 5 | 0 – 3 | ||
ACT = Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; ECOG = Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.
a
The median US household income in 2020 was $67,521.72