Health and well-being of women family carers: a comparative study with a generic focus

Objective: To examine differences between women family carers of people wit h chronic illnesses or disabilities and a group of women 'non-carers' in se lf-reported physical health, psychological well-being, life satisfaction, s ocial support and feelings of overload. Method: Using a computer-assisted telephone interviewing system, a random s urvey of more than 26,000 households was conducted in Victoria to identify and then interview a representative sample of family carers of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. The women in the sample (n=857) were the n compared with a sample of women with 'usual family responsibilities' (n=2 19) in terms of physical and emotional states. Results: We found higher rates of self-reported ill-health and use of medic ation, more negative effect, and less life satisfaction and perceived socia l support, among carers than among women in the comparison group. Even thou gh the latter were more likely to be caring for one or more children, compa red with the carers they reported less overload. Irrespective of carer stat us, women without partners expressed less life satisfaction, and more socia l isolation and negative effect. Conclusions and implications: The poorer health status and emotional wellbe ing of carers compared with non-carers among women, and associations betwee n overload, social isolation, negative effect and health problems within ca rers, point to a number of practical interventions such as promoting an awa reness in GPs and other health professionals of the impact of caregiving on the health of their patients; informing them about relevant community serv ices; and encouraging appropriate referrals.