Table 1 Characteristics of observed variables of caregivers and their chronically ill children
| Â | Parents chronically ill children | Sample size |
|---|---|---|
Demographic Variables | n (%) | Â |
Gender (Female) | 452 (83) | 542 |
Educational level1 | Â | 535 |
   Lower | 140 (26) |  |
   Intermediate | 220 (41) |  |
   Higher | 175 (33) |  |
Married/Partner | 469 (87) | 541 |
Born in the Netherlands | 445 (82) | 543 |
Respondent chronically ill | 77 (14) | 542 |
Partner Chronically ill | 52 (10) | 542 |
| Â | Mean (sd) | Â |
Age Parent Years (SD) | 42.0 (6.5) | 540 |
Children per family | 2.3 (0.9) | 533 |
Age child | 10.0 (4.4) | 532 |
Disease related variables | Â | Â |
Care Dependency * | 3.2 (2.5) | 540 |
Time since diagnosis | 7.9 (4.2) | 496 |
Disease Development | n (%) | 511 |
   Progressive | 93 (18) |  |
   Improving | 134 (26) |  |
   Varying | 120 (23) |  |
   Stable | 164 (32) |  |
Social participation | Mean (SD) | Â |
Hours of work/week | 15.38 (13.89) | 497 |
Monthly family income (euro) | 2504 (1171) | 480 |
Leisure time (hours) | 4.9 (5.7) | 539 |
Holiday (days/year) | 19.3 (11.6) | 476 |
Emotional support ** | 4.8 (2.0) | 529 |