abstract: 'BackgroundProviding unpaid support to family and friends with disabling

  health conditions can limit a carer''s capacity to participate in

  employment. The emotional support needs and unpredictability of caring

  for people with mental illness may be particularly demanding. While

  previous research suggests variable employment rates across carers for

  different conditions, there are limited data on mental health carers

  specifically.MethodsThis study analysed employment patterns for

  working-age, co-resident carers of adults with mental illness in an

  Australian cross-sectional household survey, the 2015 Survey of

  Disability, Ageing and Carers.ResultsSignificantly more mental health

  carers were not employed (42.3\%, 95\% CI: 36.6-48.1) compared to

  non-carers (24.0\%, 95\% CI: 23.5-24.6). Employed mental health carers

  were more likely to work fewer than 16h per week (carers: 17.2\%, 95\%

  CI: 12.8-22.8, vs. non-carers: 11.7\%, 95\% CI: 11.3-12.1) and in lower

  skilled occupations (carers: 22.6, 95\% CI: 17.5-28.7, vs. non-carers:

  15.7, 95\% CI: 15.1-16.2). Among the sub-group of primary mental health

  carers, 25.8\% (95\% CI: 15.6-39.5) had reduced their working hours to

  care and a further 26.4\% (95\% CI: 17.2-38.2) stopped working

  altogether. In corresponding comparisons between mental health carers

  and carers for people with other cognitive/behavioural conditions, and

  physical conditions with or without secondary mental illness, there were

  no differences except that mental health carers were more likely to be

  working in a lower skilled occupation than other cognitive/behavioural

  condition carers (14.8\% of the latter, 95\% CI 10.1-21.2). Multivariate

  logistic regression analyses revealed that female mental health carers

  were less likely to be employed if they were aged 35-54, had no

  post-secondary education, had a disability, or cared for someone with

  severe activity limitations. For male mental health carers, having a

  disability or caring for someone with severe limitations or who did not

  receive paid assistance were significantly associated with not being

  employed.ConclusionsThese results highlight the employment disadvantage

  experienced by mental health carers compared to non-carers, and

  similarities in employment patterns across carers for different

  conditions. Improving the availability of paid support services for

  people with mental illness may be an important target to assist carers

  to maintain their own employment.'
affiliation: 'Diminic, S (Corresponding Author), Univ Queensland, Fac Med, Sch Publ
  Hlth, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.

  Diminic, S (Corresponding Author), Queensland Ctr Mental Hlth Res, Policy \& Epidemiol
  Grp, Pk Ctr Mental Hlth, Locked Bag 500, Brisbane, Qld 4108, Australia.

  Diminic, Sandra; Hielscher, Emily; Harris, Meredith G., Univ Queensland, Fac Med,
  Sch Publ Hlth, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.

  Diminic, Sandra; Hielscher, Emily; Harris, Meredith G., Queensland Ctr Mental Hlth
  Res, Policy \& Epidemiol Grp, Pk Ctr Mental Hlth, Locked Bag 500, Brisbane, Qld
  4108, Australia.

  Hielscher, Emily, Univ Queensland, Ctr Clin Res, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.'
article-number: '587'
author: Diminic, Sandra and Hielscher, Emily and Harris, Meredith G.
author-email: sandra\_diminic@qcmhr.uq.edu.au
author_list:
- family: Diminic
  given: Sandra
- family: Hielscher
  given: Emily
- family: Harris
  given: Meredith G.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6822-1
eissn: 1471-2458
files: []
journal: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH
keywords: 'Australia; Caregivers; Informal care; Mental disorders; Employment;

  Labour force'
keywords-plus: 'QUALITY-OF-LIFE; OPPORTUNITY COSTS; AUSTRALIAN CARERS; WORKING CARERS;

  PROVIDING CARE; PAID WORK; CAREGIVERS; PEOPLE; HOME; PSYCHOSIS'
language: English
month: MAY 16
number-of-cited-references: '50'
orcid-numbers: 'Hielscher, Emily/0000-0002-0559-5256

  Diminic, Sandra/0000-0001-8742-8816

  Harris, Meredith/0000-0003-0096-729X

  Diminic, Sandra/0000-0001-8742-8816'
papis_id: 797c8a61b580e4a73bf03e1a35724d85
ref: Diminic2019employmentdisadvanta
researcherid-numbers: 'Hielscher, Emily/T-5825-2019

  Diminic, Sandra/ABC-2127-2020

  Harris, Meredith/ABD-3049-2020

  Diminic, Sandra/O-7572-2016'
times-cited: '4'
title: 'Employment disadvantage and associated factors for informal carers of adults
  with mental illness: are they like other disability carers?'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000468435000008
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '13'
volume: '19'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2019'