Unpaid Care Has A Huge Impact On Mental Health Landmark Europe-Wide Study Has Shown

Research conducted by Eurocare has examined unpaid care provided by people of all ages across Europe. It was carried out by University College London and St George’s, University of London, with support from UK charity Carers Trust and research teams in Spain, Norway and Germany.

It showed around one in 10 people aged 15 to 29 across Europe are carers. More than a quarter (27%) of these young adult carers come from households ranked in the bottom fifth for income.

Their mental health also deteriorates after becoming a carer and the impact increases the more hours they spend caring, showing the urgent need for early identification and intervention to support them. Young adults who are providing more than 20 hours of unpaid care per week are more than 96% more likely to report poor mental health compared to their peers.

Young adult carers’ education and future employment are also affected and, in the UK, there are stark inequalities in educational attainment. Young adult carers are 38% less likely than their peers to hold a university degree as their highest qualification. This rises to a staggering 86% for those who provide more than 35 hours of care per week.

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