title: Mental and physical illness in caregivers: results from an English national survey sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Caregivers make a significant and growing contribution to the social and medical care of people with long-standing disorders. The effective provision of this care is dependent on their own continuing health.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between weekly time spent caregiving and psychiatric and physical morbidity in a representative sample of the population of England.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary outcome measures were obtained from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007. Self-report measures of mental and physical health were used, along with total symptom scores for common mental disorder derived from the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 25% (n = 1883) of the sample identified themselves as caregivers. They had poorer mental health and higher psychiatric symptom scores than non-caregivers. There was an observable decline in mental health above 10 h per week. A twofold increase in psychiatric symptom scores in the clinical range was recorded in those providing care for more than 20 h per week. In adjusted analyses, there was no excess of physical disorders in caregivers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found strong evidence that caregiving affects the mental health of caregivers. Distress frequently reaches clinical thresholds, particularly in those providing most care. Strategies for maintaining the mental health of caregivers are needed, particularly as demographic changes are set to increase involvement in caregiving roles.
authors: Lindsay Smith, MA, MSc, Juliana Onwumere, PhD, DClinPsy, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Tom Craig, MBBS, PhD, FRCPsych, Department of Health Services and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Sally McManus, MSc, NatCen Social Research, London; Paul Bebbington, PhD, FRCP, FRCPsych, Unit of Mental Health Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London Medical School, London; Elizabeth Kuipers, PhD, FBPS, AcSS, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors: Lindsay
authors: L
authors: Smith
authors: Lindsay Smith, MA, MSc, Juliana Onwumere, PhD, DClinPsy, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Tom Craig, MBBS, PhD, FRCPsych, Department of Health Services and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Sally McManus, MSc, NatCen Social Research, London; Paul Bebbington, PhD, FRCP, FRCPsych, Unit of Mental Health Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London Medical School, London; Elizabeth Kuipers, PhD, FBPS, AcSS, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors: Juliana
authors: J
authors: Onwumere
authors: Lindsay Smith, MA, MSc, Juliana Onwumere, PhD, DClinPsy, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Tom Craig, MBBS, PhD, FRCPsych, Department of Health Services and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Sally McManus, MSc, NatCen Social Research, London; Paul Bebbington, PhD, FRCP, FRCPsych, Unit of Mental Health Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London Medical School, London; Elizabeth Kuipers, PhD, FBPS, AcSS, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors: Tom
authors: T
authors: Craig
authors: Lindsay Smith, MA, MSc, Juliana Onwumere, PhD, DClinPsy, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Tom Craig, MBBS, PhD, FRCPsych, Department of Health Services and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Sally McManus, MSc, NatCen Social Research, London; Paul Bebbington, PhD, FRCP, FRCPsych, Unit of Mental Health Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London Medical School, London; Elizabeth Kuipers, PhD, FBPS, AcSS, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors: Sally
authors: S
authors: McManus
authors: Lindsay Smith, MA, MSc, Juliana Onwumere, PhD, DClinPsy, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Tom Craig, MBBS, PhD, FRCPsych, Department of Health Services and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Sally McManus, MSc, NatCen Social Research, London; Paul Bebbington, PhD, FRCP, FRCPsych, Unit of Mental Health Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London Medical School, London; Elizabeth Kuipers, PhD, FBPS, AcSS, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Bebbington
authors: Lindsay Smith, MA, MSc, Juliana Onwumere, PhD, DClinPsy, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Tom Craig, MBBS, PhD, FRCPsych, Department of Health Services and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Sally McManus, MSc, NatCen Social Research, London; Paul Bebbington, PhD, FRCP, FRCPsych, Unit of Mental Health Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London Medical School, London; Elizabeth Kuipers, PhD, FBPS, AcSS, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Kuipers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology