Social participation and health outcomes among carers in Great Britain

As the population ages, individuals in mid-life are increasingly likely to provide informal care to their parents. The Carers Trust notes that currently in the UK, one in ten people (around 7 million) are providing informal care. This is predicted to rise to over 10 million by 2030.A recent survey by Carers UK found 72% of carers reported mental health problems and 61% said they had physical health problems as a result of caring. However, social participation can potentially alleviate the adverse effects of care provision.Against this background, we investigate the health and social participation of carers to inform public policy design. This study adopted a mixed-methods approach and used data from the National Child Development Study to explore the associations between the carers’ social participation patterns and their health outcomes, distinguishing between more and less intense care providers