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Understanding the Psychological Well-being of Informal Carers


In societies with ageing populations and very limited government budgets for the social and health care, informal carers shoulder great responsibilities, providing large amounts of unpaid care to family members, friends or neighbours. We all know that unpaid carers play a crucial role in supporting individuals with long-term illnesses, disabilities, or age-related challenges. Despite their invaluable contributions however, their needs frequently remain invisible (Glasby, 2023). Although informal caregiving can strengthen the bonds between the carer and the care recipient, foster a sense of purpose, and even bring moments of personal satisfaction (Litwin et al., 2014), it also – and notoriously - presents considerable challenges. Carers often face financial strain due to high care-related costs and reduced working hours, a loss of personal time, and significant emotional stress, all of which may profoundly influence carers’ subjective well-being (Keating et al., 2021). This points to a critical question: what specific caregiving circumstances lead to poorer psychological well-being?

Our recent study published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B provides crucial insights into this issue by identifying “tipping points” where caregiving responsibilities shift from being fulfilling to becoming overwhelming in the UK. By understanding these thresholds, policymakers and support systems can better respond to the needs of carers.

Care intensity, measured by the number of hours spent providing care each week, is a key factor influencing carers’ well-being. Our study shows that carers experience lower psychological well-being than noncarers when their weekly caregiving hours exceed certain thresholds, and that these thresholds vary depending on their relationship with the care recipient and the location where the care is provided.

To explore these dynamics, we categorise carers into five groups: spousal carers, carers of children, carers of parents, carers of other relatives, and carers of non-relatives. For spousal carers, even minimal caregiving responsibilities can lead to poorer mental health. The emotional strain of caring for a life partner, combined with the loss of mutual support in shared responsibilities, makes this type of caregiving uniquely challenging. For carers supporting a parent, psychological strain becomes apparent with as little as five hours of caregiving per week, reflecting the complex emotional and logistical demands of balancing caregiving with personal and professional responsibilities.

Although parents caring for children with disabilities or long-term illnesses undoubtedly face significant stress, their threshold for experiencing lower psychological well-being compared to noncarers is relatively high—50 hours per week—suggesting that societal and personal expectations as well as the social support may influence their resilience and experiences. Parents may perceive caregiving for their child as a natural and expected responsibility, and their emotional connection and sense of purpose in this role can provide motivation and psychological resilience, helping them feel more mentally prepared and reducing the sense of burden. There is, however, little or no evidence that caring for other relatives and non-relatives has a negative impact on psychological well-being. Indeed, at low levels of caregiving intensity, these carers report higher well-being than non-carers.

Our study also distinguishes between carers based on the location of care provision: co-resident and extra-resident care. In both cases, providing care for more than five hours per week is associated with lower levels of subjective well-being. However, a positive impact on well-being is observed exclusively among non-resident carers who provide care for fewer than five hours per week.

The relationship between carer and care recipient matters for the carer’s psychological well-being. Among all caregiving relationships, spousal caregiving is associated with the lowest levels of psychological well-being. While demanding, caregiving for children appears to be slightly less detrimental to well-being than spousal or parental caregiving. This may be attributed to the greater availability of support for childcare in the UK, which can help alleviate some of the burdens. Carers of nonrelatives or distant relatives often experience less strain. These care relationships are less bound by societal obligations, creating a sense of voluntary engagement and personal fulfilment in the caregiving experience  (Lapierre and Keating, 2013).

The physical location of caregiving also plays a critical role in determining carers’ well-being. Carers who live with the care recipient often experience heightened stress and poorer psychological well-being. Living together eliminates the boundary between caregiving duties and personal time, leading to constant physical and emotional demands. In contrast, those providing care to someone outside their household generally report better well-being, particularly when their caregiving responsibilities are limited to fewer than five hours per week. Interestingly, as care intensity increases, the well-being gap between co-resident and extra-resident carers narrows. High-intensity caregiving—regardless of location—has a significant negative influence on carers’ mental health.

Our study illustrates the significant psychological stress that caregiving can impose. Carers often face physical and emotional exhaustion, financial stress, and social isolation, particularly when their responsibilities exceed manageable levels (Swinkels et al., 2019). In addition, high-intensity caregiving often leaves carers with little time or energy to engage in activities that bring joy or relaxation (Verbakel et al., 2018). These challenges not only affect carers but also threaten the sustainability of long-term care systems that rely heavily on them (Zhang et al., 2020).

Our findings underscore the importance of  tailoring interventions and supports for carers to address their specific needs, which vary by their relationship with the care recipient and the caregiving location. For instance, spousal carers may benefit from counselling services and access to respite care, while parents of children with disabilities might require educational resources and financial support to navigate the complex of demands of caregiving. To prevent carers burnout, interventions should focus on addressing key tipping points where caregiving become overwhelming. A centralised government-led agency could be established to manage the registration and monitoring of carers, ensuring streamlined coordination of resources among healthcare providers, social services, and NGOs. Public awareness campaigns are also crucial to highlight the invaluable contributions of informal carers, advocate for increased funding for social care services, and foster greater societal recognition. Local and community-based networks (e.g., neighbourhood networks, NGOs and community support groups) should be strengthened to provide resources and emotional support for carers. These networks can distribute the caregiving load and promote shared responsibility, alleviating stress for individual carers.

Future research should further explore factors that shape carers’ experiences, such as relationship quality, cultural expectations, and the duration of caregiving. A deeper understanding of these dynamics will enable the development of more effective policies and interventions, ensuring carers receive the support they need to continue playing their essential roles in society.


About the Authors 

Dr Yanan Zhang  is a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. 


Opinions of the blogger is their own and not endorsed by the Institute

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