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© 1998 Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom

research-article

Informal care and psychiatric morbidity


Stephen Horsley, Professor
Steve Barrow, Epidemiologist
Nick Gent, Director of Public Health
John Astbury, Consultant in Public Health

Public Health and Health Professional Development Unit, University of Lancaster LA1 4YX
North West Health Research Unit Gateway House, Piccadilly South, Manchester M60 7LP
Morecambe Bay Health Authority Tenterfield, Brigsteer Road, Kendal LA9 5EA


Address correspondence to Steve Barrow.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to examine and quantify the relationship between psychiatric morbidity and the provision of informal care in the community.

METHODS: The study involved a comparison of carers and non-carers in a mixed urban and rural community (Morecambe Bay Health Authority). Data were collected by postal survey for 4550 adults; 10.9 per cent of respondents were identified as carers. Subjects were selected by quasi-random methods from the Family Health Services Authority (FHSA) registers. Potential psychiatric morbidity was defined as three or more symptoms on a standardized measure, the General Health Questionnaire (12-item version).

RESULTS: The prevalence of morbidity was significantly higher in people who care for others in their own homes, even after adjustment for other known risk factors for psychiatric morbidity (odds ratio 1.51, 95 per cent confidence interval 1.11–2.05). In contrast, there was no significant relationship between morbidity and care outside the home in these data.

CONCLUSIONS: Health Authorities need to review support for carers and to consider ways to improve monitoring.

Keywords: informal care, psychiatric morbidity


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