Impact of informal care on the mental health of caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Informal care can affect the mental health of caregivers. The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated many people into informal care. Little is known about the longitudinal effect of informal care throughout the pandemic. We investigate changes in mental health in relation to changes in informal care between July 2020 and September 2021.

Methods

Using data from Understanding Society, we applied fixed-effects modelling to assess mental health variations associated with changes in caregiving among 13 557 participants (50 430 observations). Hours of weekly care were categorized as 0, 1-19, ≥20. Mental health was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) as a continuous score and a binary indicator. Main analyses were stratified by gender.

Results

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SUBMITTER: Fleitas Alfonzo L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10687605 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature