Longitudinal association between informal unpaid caregiving and mental health amongst working age adults in high-income OECD countries: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Informal unpaid caregivers provide most of the world's care needs, experiencing numerous health and wealth penalties as a result. As the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted, informal care is highly gendered. Longitudinal evidence is needed to assess the causal effect of caregiving on mental health. This review addresses a gap by summarising and appraising the longitudinal evidence examining the association between unpaid caregiving and mental health among working age adults in high-income Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and examining gender differences. Methods: Six databases were searched (Medline, PsycInfo, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, E..