Virtual: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7905645674
Codi: 1984

Title.- Is caregiving bad for health?

Abstract.-The wellbeing of older adult with assistance needs may depend on unpaid care provided by their close relatives. However, providing such care can be a source of stress, especially when it involves intensive care, and may have detrimental effects on the health of caregivers. The present study examines the impact of caring for older parents on caregivers’; health, and the effects of perceived social support from the close network and the neighbourhood on mitigating the negative impact on
caregivers’; mental health. Utilising nationally representative data from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey (UKHLS), the study undertakes two primary analyses. First, it examines the trajectories of physical and mental health over a 7-year follow-up for individuals providing intensive care, those providing lesser amounts of care, and non-caregivers. It accounts for initial health status and the presence of a living parent, both of which are health-related factors in the selection into the caregiver role. Second, using three annual waves of the UKHLS, the study investigates whether social support from relatives and friends, and neighbourhood social cohesion can act as a buffering mechanism against the effects of stress on caregivers. Conversely, it examines whether strained relationships or poor neighbourhood cohesion or deprivation may have the opposite effect.