Can J Public Health. 2025 Dec 1. doi: 10.17269/s41997-025-01133-2. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Unpaid caregiving can negatively impact well-being, but not all caregivers are affected equally. We explored factors associated with unpaid caregivers’ health and financial outcomes.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a panel survey from (n = 1977; 11% response rate) the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence’s “National Caregiving Survey” using logistic regression to assess the adjusted odds (aOR) of poor physical, mental, and financial health by caregiver, care recipient, and caregiving intensity characteristics.
RESULTS: Twenty percent of respondents reported poor physical health, 25% poor mental health, and 38% financial hardship. When adjusting for all other covariates, those who had a lower income or provided care to younger adult individuals (18-64 years) were more likely to report all three co-primary outcomes (aORs ranging from 1.68 to 1.80) and caregivers of sexual minorities were more likely to report poor physical and mental health (aOR 1.66, 95%CI 1.13-2.45, and 2.15, 95%CI 1.51-3.05, respectively). Compared with young adult caregivers (18-24 years), older caregivers (≥65 years) were less likely to report poor mental health (aOR 0.39, 95%CI 0.23-0.66), while middle-aged (45-64 years) and older (> 65 years) caregivers were more likely to report poor physical health (aORs 2.21, 95%CI 1.22-4.04, and 1.87, 95%CI 0.99-3.51, respectively). Those identifying as women were more likely to report poor mental health and those providing more intense care were more likely to experience financial hardship.
CONCLUSION: Specific unpaid caregiver subgroups may be more at risk of poor physical, mental, and financial health and may be important targets for interventions aimed at improving these outcomes.
PMID:41324883 | DOI:10.17269/s41997-025-01133-2
