American Journal of Epidemiology
American Journal of Epidemiology
5 years ago

Health and Mortality Risks for Caregivers Vary by Age: A Census-Based Record Linkage Study.

Aideen Maguire, Foteini Tseliou, Dermot O'Reilly, Michael Rosato, David Wright
Due to the focus of studies about caregiving responsibilities on older caregivers, there has been a deficit of research on young caregivers. We aimed to investigate the association between caregiving and health/mortality risk in young caregivers when compared with their non-caregiving peers and older caregivers. A census-based record linkage was implemented linking all residents enumerated in the 2011 Northern Ireland Census with subsequently registered deaths data, until the end of 2015. Among those aged 5-24 years at the 2011 Census, approximately 4.5% (19,621) of the cohort reported that they were caregivers. The presence of a chronic physical (mobility difficulties) and/or mental health condition was measured through the Census; all-cause mortality was assessed by official mortality records. Young caregivers were less likely than their non-caregiving peers to report chronic mobility problems (ORadj = 0.81 95% CI: 0.84, 0.96), but more likely to report chronic poor mental health (ORadj = 1.44 95% CI: 1.31, 1.58). They also differ from older caregivers (P < 0.001) and are at significantly higher mortality risk than their peers (HRadj = 1.54 95% CI: 1.10, 2.14). A dose response relationship between hours devoted to caregiving duties and mortality risk was evident. Young caregivers are at significantly increased risk of poor health outcomes.

Publisher URL: http://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwx384

DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwx384

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