Gender and care: Does gender modify the mental health impact of adolescent care?

L Fleitas Alfonzo; A Singh; G Disney; T King

Journal article

Gender and care: Does gender modify the mental health impact of adolescent care?

L Fleitas Alfonzo, A Singh, G Disney, T King

Ssm Population Health | Published : 2023

DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101479

Abstract

Young carers are people aged 25 years or less who deliver unpaid informal care to a family or a friend living with a physical or mental illness, a disability, problems related to alcohol/substance use or an elderly relative. Young caring has negative impacts on the mental health of adolescents. Gender patterns underpinning this association have not been explored. We examined gender differences in the mental health effect of informal care among Australian adolescents. We used data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Participants were categorised as non-carers or young carers at 14/15 years old. Although we acknowledge that gender is non-binary, information about gender ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Ludmila Fleitas Alfonzo Author

Ankur Singh Author

George Disney Author

Tania King Author

Related Projects (2)

CENTRE OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE IN DISABILITY AND HEALTH

The first research centre of its kind internationally, the CRE in Disability and Health brings together a first-rate team of national and in..

HIDDEN IN THE MARGINS: THE LIVES AND TRAJECTORIES OF YOUNG CARERS

This project aims to examine the social, educational, economic and health-related experiences of young informal carers. One of the most unre..

Grants

Awarded by University of Melbourne

Funding Acknowledgements

LFA is supported by the Research Training Program Scholarship provided by the Australian Commonwealth Government and The University of Melbourne. LFA is also supported by a Melbourne Disability Institute Scholarship. AS is supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE230101210). GD is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia funded Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health (APP1116385). TK is supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE200100607).