Informal caregiving was related to mental health deterioration during the pandemic.
•
High-intensity caregivers experienced worse mental health deterioration.
•
Self-reported deterioration in mental health was more severe among women caregivers.
•
Support for informal caregivers to mitigate burden during the pandemic is essential.
Abstract
Background
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a widespread significant impact on mental health. However, the effect of providing care to family members (informal caregiving) on changes in mental health status during the pandemic remains unclear.
Methods
Using cross-sectional data from a large internet survey conducted between August and September 2020, we investigated the association of informal caregiving status with the incidence of mental health deterioration (increased loneliness, self-reported deterioration in mental health, and new suicidal ideation) in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results
Among 25,482 participants (mean age 48.8 [standard deviation 17.3]; 50.3% women), 2,500 (9.8%) were providing informal care during the pandemic. After adjusting for potential confounders, informal caregivers were more likely than non-caregivers to experience increased loneliness (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.70–2.76), self-reported deterioration in mental health (aOR 1.54; 95% CI 1.14–2.08), and new incidence of suicidal ideation (aOR 3.65; 95% CI 1.92–6.92). The degree of mental health deterioration depended on the intensity of care. For example, the incidence rates of new suicidal ideation were 15.0%, 5.2%, and 3.6% for individuals who provided high-intensity caregiving, those who provided low-intensity caregiving, and non-caregivers, respectively (p-for-trend<0.001). The stratified analysis by gender showed that informal caregiving was associated with self-reported deterioration in mental health status among women (aOR 2.19; 95% CI 1.49–3.21) but not men (aOR 1.08; 95% CI 0.75–1.56).
Conclusion
Informal caregivers were more likely to experience mental health deterioration than non-caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
