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Table 1 Characteristics

From: Associations between occupational balance, subjective health, and well-being of informal caregivers of older persons based on a cross-sectional study

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)

  1. 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