Caring trajectories and health in mid-life

Abstract

Previous research has found varied effects of informal care provision on the carer’s health status. Few studies have however examined this relationship dynamically. This paper is the first to analyse trajectories of care among men and women in mid-life and their impact on health outcomes using a nationally representative prospective cohort study. Data from three waves of the UK National Child Development Study (N=7,465), when the respondents were aged 46, 50 and 55 years old, are used to derive care trajectories capturing the dynamics of care provision and its intensity. Logistic regression investigates the impact of caring between age 46 and 55 on the carers’ report of depression and poor health at age 55. At age 46, 9 per cent of men and 16 per cent of women provided some level of informal care; rising to 60 per cent for both genders at age 50 and 55. Just 7 per cent of women and 4 per cent of men provided care at all observation points, with the most common trajectory being ‘starting to care’ at age 50 or 55. New carers experienced a lower risk of depression at age 55, reflecting that they may not have experienced the caring role long enough to have an adverse impact on their wellbeing. The findings highlight that the majority of individuals with surviving parents experience caring at some point during mid-life, underlining the need for further longitudinal research to better understand the complex relationships between caregiving and health for different groups of carers.

More information

Identifiers

ORCID for Maria Evandrou: orcid.org/0000-0002-2115-9358

ORCID for Jane Falkingham: orcid.org/0000-0002-7135-5875

ORCID for Athina Vlachantoni: orcid.org/0000-0003-1539-3057

Catalogue record

Export record

Altmetrics