Current status and factors influencing readiness among primary caregivers of colorectal cancer patients

Table 1 General information of patients and survey participants and results of univariate analysis on caregiver preparedness (n = 284), mean ± SD

Variable	Caregiver preparedness	t/F	P value
Patient age		4.2111	0.016a
18-50	21.08 ± 5.74
51-70	19.86 ± 5.98
> 70	18.07 ± 7.47
Patient gender		-1.1772	0.240
Male	18.47 ± 6.51
Female	19.45 ± 7.54
Patient marital status		12.1301	0.000b
Married	18.45 ± 6.87
Widowed	27.50 ± 4.81
Single	26.50 ± 2.67
Patient’s educational level		2.8761	0.023a
Elementary school or below	18.69 ± 7.38
Junior high school	17.78 ± 7.29
High school/secondary vocational school	21.00 ± 5.47
Associate degree	22.00 ± 1.48
Bachelor’s degree or above	22.00 ± 5.56
Patient’s medical expense payment situation		2.2252	0.027a
Partial reimbursement	17.97 ± 7.71
Majority reimbursement	19.81 ± 6.20
Patient’s disease course		4.4261	0.002a
< 1 month	19.69 ± 6.93
1-3 months	21.57 ± 7.63
3-6 months	18.13 ± 6.59
6-12 months	16.82 ± 6.45
> 1 year	16.75 ± 6.15
Patient’s previous chronic diseases		3.9971	0.019a
Single	18.91 ± 7.48
Multiple	16.45 ± 7.11
None	19.96 ± 6.14
Primary caregiver’s age		2.1421	0.119
18-50 years	19.62 ± 7.91
51-70 years	18.34 ± 5.79
> 70 years	15.5 ± 5.88
Primary caregiver’s gender		0.3502	0.727
Male	19.10 ± 7.33
Female	18.80 ± 6.79
Relationship between primary caregiver and patient		12.7701	0.000b
Spouse	19.30 ± 5.62
Children	21.67 ± 7.35
Daughter-in-law or son-in-law	19.88 ± 7.64
Parent	24.33 ± 3.85
Other relatives	14.50 ± 7.64
Friend	8.50 ± 0.89
Marital status of primary caregiver		3.8081	0.023a
Married	19.25 ± 7.13
Divorced	19.00 ± 0.00
Single	14.80 ± 4.56
Caregiver’s education level		8.6841	0.000b
Elementary school or below	15.31 ± 4.43
Junior high school	19.92 ± 6.93
High school/secondary vocational school	20.32 ± 6.76
Associate degree	21.00 ± 8.89
Bachelor’s degree or above	14.20 ± 3.97
Caregiver’s residence location		3.6391	0.013a
Urban area	21.50 ± 6.15
County	17.50 ± 7.41
Town	18.22 ± 6.86
Rural area	18.80 ± 7.07
Self-reported physical health status of primary caregiver		18.7991	0.000b
Good	19.67 ± 8.42
Moderate	20.93 ± 6.02
Poor	15.05 ± 4.50
Primary caregiver’s chronic disease history		2.1842	0.030a
No	19.30 ± 7.26
Yes	16.70 ± 4.75
Per capita monthly income of family		4.2511	0.015a
< 424 dollars	16.57 ± 6.71
424-707 dollars	18.59 ± 6.90
> 707 dollars	20.72 ± 7.11
Caregiving experience of primary caregiver		6.1841	0.002a
Never	18.45 ± 6.54
Had one experience	18.17 ± 7.99
Had several experiences	22.27 ± 4.09
Duration of caregiving by main caregiver		35.6631	0.000b
4-8 hours	15.57 ± 6.24
9-12 hours	18.44 ± 6.32
> 12 hours	22.70 ± 6.31
No. of people assisting with caregiving		1.3111	0.271
0	18.45 ± 6.37
1	18.60 ± 7.73
≥ 2	20.00 ± 7.19
Caregiver’s knowledge of the disease		13.8301	0.000b
Less	17.95 ± 6.80
Moderate	22.40 ± 7.91
More	23.88 ± 5.07
Caregiver-patient emotional bond		27.5921	0.000b
Not intimate	11.67 ± 4.67
A little intimate	17.17 ± 5.68
Intimate	21.02 ± 7.03

^aP < 0.05.

^bP < 0.01.

¹One-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post-hoc test.

²Independent samples t-test.

Table 2 Total Caregiver Preparedness Scale score and itemized scores for caregiver preparedness for colorectal cancer patients (n = 284), mean ± SD

Item	Minimum	Maximum	Score
CPS total points	0	32	18.93 ± 7.01
You are prepared to care for the patient’s physical needs	0	4	2.38 ± 1.04
You are prepared to care for the patient’s emotional needs	0	4	2.41 ± 1.03
You are prepared to understand the patient’s needs and develop relevant services for them	0	4	2.27 ± 1.01
You are prepared to cope with the stress that caregiving for the patient may cause	0	4	2.39 ± 1.02
You are prepared to provide care for the patient that is satisfactory to both you and the patient	0	4	2.51 ± 1.01
You are prepared to respond to and handle any emergencies that may arise with the patient	0	4	2.27 ± 1.06
You are prepared to seek help and resources from the healthcare system when necessary	0	4	2.18 ± 1.00
Overall, you are prepared to care for the patient	0	4	2.52 ± 1.01

CPS: Caregiver Preparedness Scale.

Table 3 Multiple linear regression analysis of factors influencing caregiver preparedness for colorectal cancer patients (n = 284)

Characteristics	Unstandardized coefficient B	Standard error	Standardized coefficient β	t	P value	VIF
Constant	34.624	2.137	-	16.200	0.000	-
Patient
Age	-0.875	0.430	-0.076	-2.032	0.043	2.732
Widowed	3.926	1.131	0.093	3.472	0.001	1.412
Single	-6.891	1.926	-0.163	-3.578	0.000	4.097
Educational level	0.919	0.260	0.143	3.536	0.000	3.256
Medical expense coverage	-1.663	0.432	-0.119	-3.849	0.000	1.880
Disease duration	-0.451	0.145	-0.088	-3.121	0.002	1.561
Primary caregiver
Offspring	-2.030	0.633	-0.137	-3.207	0.002	3.615
Parent	5.033	1.485	0.145	3.388	0.001	3.603
Friend	-2.149	0.997	-0.071	-2.156	0.032	2.131
Divorced	4.077	1.508	0.069	2.704	0.007	1.274
Single	-1.697	0.768	-0.062	-2.210	0.028	1.557
Educational level	0.747	0.226	0.122	3.303	0.001	2.711
Rural areas	-1.533	0.545	-0.105	-2.814	0.005	2.733
Per capita monthly income	0.680	0.281	0.058	2.417	0.016	1.122
Caregiving duration	1.124	0.225	0.141	4.988	0.000	1.588
Level of disease knowledge	-1.441	0.495	-0.088	-2.912	0.004	1.791
Emotional relationship with patient	1.392	0.356	0.129	3.909	0.000	2.143
Anxiety	-0.066	0.022	-0.093	-2.939	0.004	1.984
Care capacity	-0.462	-0.020	-0.723	-23.670	0.000	1.845

VIF: Variance inflation facto.