A longitudinal analysis of mental and general health status of informal carers in Australia

Mohanty, Itismita; Niyonsenga, Theo

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7816-8

BMC Public Health

Table 3 Fully adjusted fixed effects models separately for the SF36 Mental and General Health components: Estimates of carer status effect, effects of individual characteristics on non-carer status and carer status differential effects (interaction effects)

From: A longitudinal analysis of mental and general health status of informal carers in Australia

Variables	SF36 Mental Health Component			SF36 General Health Component
Variables	Coef.	[95% Conf. Interval]		Coef.	[95% Conf. Interval]
Carer Status (Yes/No): Actively cares for a household member/non-resident due to long-term health condition, elderly	−3.010***	−5.371	−0.648	−3.106***	−5.378	− 0.834
Effects on Non-Carer Status: main terms
Non-Carer: Age	−0.009	− 0.039	0.021	− 0.421***	− 0.453	− 0.390
Non-Carer: Time spent in (hrs/mins) per week Caring for disabled/elderly relative	− 0.039***	− 0.065	− 0.012	− 0.003	−0.025	0.018
Non-Carer: Employment Status
Employed - works 35 hours a week (Reference group)
Employed - works less than 35 hours a week	−0.560***	− 0.838	− 0.282	−0.706***	− 0.985	−0.427
Unemployed, retired, home duties, students & others	−1.412***	− 1.746	− 1.077	− 1.158***	− 1.498	− 0.817
Non-Carer: Alcohol Drinking Status
Never drink/No longer drink (Reference group)
Drink only rarely & 1 to 2 standard drinks	−0.414**	− 0.813	− 0.014	0.259	− 0.129	0.647
Drink only rarely & 3 to 4 standard drinks	−0.818***	−1.385	− 0.250	− 0.195	− 0.744	0.353
Drink only rarely & 5 and more standard drinks	−1.289***	−2.020	−0.558	− 0.208	− 0.915	0.499
Drink 2/3 days per month & 1 to 2 standard drinks	− 0.416	− 0.906	0.074	0.502**	0.015	0.990
Drink 2/3 days per month & 3 to 4 standard drinks	− 0.806***	− 1.352	− 0.259	0.027	− 0.541	0.595
Drink 2/3 days per month & 5 and more standard drinks	−1.912***	−2.526	− 1.299	− 0.501	− 1.112	0.110
Drink 1/2 days per week & 1 to 2 standard drinks	− 0.726***	− 1.212	− 0.240	0.479*	−0.011	0.969
Drink 1/2 days per week & 3 to 4 standard drinks	−1.308***	− 1.847	− 0.768	0.048	− 0.492	0.589
Drink 1/2 days per week & 5 and more standard drinks	−1.735***	−2.313	− 1.157	− 0.806***	− 1.381	− 0.231
Drink 3 or more days per week & 1 to 2 standard drinks	− 0.962***	− 1.489	− 0.435	0.301	− 0.236	0.839
Drink 3 or more days per week & 3 to 4 standard drinks	−1.896***	− 2.460	− 1.332	− 0.292	− 0.863	0.279
Drink 3 or more days per week & 5 and more standard drinks	− 2.998***	−3.664	− 2.332	−1.342***	− 1.995	− 0.689
Non-Carer: How often participate in Physical Activities?
Not at all (Reference group)
Less than once a week	1.304***	0.942	1.665	2.219***	1.847	2.591
1 to 2 times a week	2.412***	2.042	2.781	4.118***	3.733	4.502
3 times a week	3.394***	2.996	3.791	5.679***	5.271	6.087
More than 3 times a week	4.528***	4.131	4.926	7.628***	7.210	8.045
Non-Carer: How often get together socially with friends/relatives?
Every Day	4.984***	4.297	5.670	3.008***	2.361	3.656
Several times a week	4.483***	3.947	5.018	2.695***	2.203	3.186
About once a week	3.434***	2.920	3.947	2.115***	1.648	2.582
1 to 3 times a month	2.536***	2.041	3.032	1.588***	1.136	2.041
1 or 2 times every 3 months	1.155***	0.607	1.703	0.501**	0.000	1.002
Less often than once every 3 months (Reference group)
Non-Carer: Smoking Status
[Never smoked/No longer smoke (Reference group)
Smoke less often than weekly	0.053	−0.710	0.816	−0.836**	−1.597	− 0.076
Smoke at least weekly (but not daily)	−0.433	− 1.175	0.309	−1.175***	− 1.891	− 0.460
Smoke daily	− 0.746**	− 1.360	− 0.133	− 1.231***	− 1.838	− 0.625
Differences in Carer versus Non-carer Status: interaction terms
Carer & Age	0.024*	− 0.004	0.051	0.034**	0.006	0.062
Carer & Time spent in (hrs/mins) per week Caring for disabled/elderly relative	0.021	−0.008	0.050	0.012	−0.013	0.036
Carer & Employment Status
Employed - works 35h hours a week (Reference group)
Employed - works less than 35 h a week	0.100	−0.835	1.036	−0.312	−1.195	0.571
Unemployed, retired, home duties, students & others	0.057	−0.846	0.961	−0.291	−1.184	0.602
Carer & Alcohol drinking status
Never drink/No longer drink (Reference group)
Drink only rarely & 1 to 2 standard drinks	0.279	−0.791	1.349	0.717	−0.331	1.766
Drink only rarely & 3 to 4 standard drinks	2.165**	0.234	4.096	1.922*	−0.132	3.977
Drink only rarely & 5 and more standard drinks	−0.577	−3.043	1.890	−0.338	−2.866	2.190
Drink 2/3 days per month & 1 to 2 standard drinks	−0.135	−1.603	1.334	0.020	−1.461	1.500
Drink 2/3 days per month & 3 to 4 standard drinks	2.389**	0.435	4.342	2.073*	−0.032	4.178
Drink 2/3 days per month & 5 and more standard drinks	−0.299	−2.747	2.149	0.465	−1.699	2.630
Drink 1/2 days per week & 1 to 2 standard drinks	0.462	−0.857	1.783	−0.222	−1.545	1.101
Drink 1/2 days per week & 3 to 4 standard drinks	1.028	−0.778	2.835	−0.375	−2.101	1.350
Drink 1/2 days per week & 5 and more standard drinks	−1.144	−3.222	0.935	0.679	−1.612	2.970
Drink 3 or more days per week & 1 to 2 standard drinks	−0.237	−1.401	0.926	0.347	−0.847	1.540
Drink 3 or more days per week & 3 to 4 standard drinks	0.340	−1.065	1.746	1.091	−0.273	2.455
Drink 3 or more days per week & 5 and more standard drinks	0.653	−1.168	2.475	0.958	−0.716	2.632
Carer & How often participate in Physical Activities?
Not at all (Reference group)
Less than once a week	0.419	−0.766	1.605	−0.085	−1.182	1.012
1 to 2 times a week	1.050*	−0.092	2.191	0.502	−0.584	1.589
3 times a week	1.273**	0.069	2.477	0.346	−0.817	1.509
More than 3 times a week	1.005*	−0.137	2.147	0.073	−1.037	1.182
Carer & How often get together socially with friends/relatives?
Every Day	−1.529	−3.812	0.753	−1.016	−3.363	1.332
Several times a week	0.498	−1.032	2.027	0.633	−0.774	2.041
About once a week	−0.009	−1.480	1.462	0.289	−1.066	1.644
1 to 3 times a month	0.110	−1.312	1.532	0.453	−0.877	1.782
1 or 2 times every 3 months	1.176	−0.500	2.853	0.633	−0.932	2.199
Less often than once every 3 months (Reference group)
Carer & Smoking Status
Never smoked/No longer smoke (Reference group)
Smoke less often than weekly	−1.820	−4.439	0.799	0.525	−2.155	3.204
Smoke at least weekly (but not daily)	−1.348	−4.176	1.480	0.056	−2.913	3.025
Smoke daily	0.660	−0.522	1.843	−0.382	−1.466	0.702
Other Overall Control Variables: effect for the whole sample
Standardized Household financial year gross total income ($)	0.195***	0.091	0.298	0.129***	0.031	0.227
Life events in past year: Serious personal injury/illness	−3.713***	−4.025	−3.401	−6.182***	−6.518	−5.846
Time spent (hrs/mins) per week Volunteer/Charity work	0.026*	−0.002	0.054	0.017	−0.015	0.049
Number of cigarettes usually smoked each week/10	−0.037	−0.085	0.011	−0.050**	− 0.096	−0.005

Notes. All the p-values have been replaced by stars and categorised as follows. ***: p < 0.01; **: p < 0.05; *: p < 0.1; However, confidence intervals use the usual 95% confidence level. The first row presents the impact of Carer Status on SF36 mental health and general health outcomes of individuals over time. The following section titled Effects on Non-Carer Status: main terms, presents the estimates of individual characteristics such as their age and caregiving time and the impact of their health behaviours (physical activity level, smoking and drinking level), employment status and level of social engagement on their self-assessed health status when they were non-carers. The next section titled Differences in Carer versus Non-carer Status: interaction terms, presents the non-carer and carer status differential estimates (the carer status has been interacted with other characteristics to estimate the magnitude of these differentials). Therefore, for each variable with both main and interaction terms in the model, the effect associated with carer status is given by the sum of both the non-carer status effect and the differential effects. The last section titled Other Overall Control Variables: effect for the whole sample presents the effects of characteristics associated to the whole sample (effects assumed to be the same in both non-care and carer groups)

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