The mental health impact of school bullying among young carers in Australia: a causal mediation analysis

LF Alfonzo; A Singh; G Disney; T King

Journal article

The mental health impact of school bullying among young carers in Australia: a causal mediation analysis

LF Alfonzo, A Singh, G Disney, T King

Scientific Reports | NATURE PORTFOLIO | Published : 2023

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43464-5

Abstract

Informal care can exert adverse effects on the mental health of young people. Bullying victimisation is an important determinant of mental disorders. Young carers are at elevated risk of bullying. We quantify the mental health effects of informal care among Australian adolescents and the extent to which these effects are transmitted through school bullying. We used data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Participants were classified as non-carers, light carers (caring for < 10 h/week) and moderate-to-heavy carers (caring for 10 + h/week). Mental health was measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Using a counterfactual approach to mediation analysis, to..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Ankur Singh Author

George Disney Author

Tania King Author

Ludmila Fleitas Alfonzo 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 Australian Institute of Family Studies

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).