Employment Transitions, Economic Costs, Mental Health and Caregiving
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Economic Burden Associated with Mental Ill Health Among Informal Caregivers in Northern Ireland: an investigation of employment transitions and economic costs.
IRAS ID
227314
Contact name
Finola Ferry
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Ulster University
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Given an ageing population in Northern Ireland (NI) (the population aged 65+ is projected to increase by 26% by 2020) (NISRA, 2013), with implications for the prevalence of chronic conditions and associated needs, there is an ever increasing reliance on informal caregivers to supplement and compliment the work of healthcare professionals (Bauer & Sousa-Poza, 2015). The census estimates there are around 213,000 informal caregivers in NI, saving the economy an estimated £4.4 billion per year (Carers Trust NI). A 'healthy caring population' is essential to a thriving society (Feinberg 2014, Gilick 2013) There is a need to develop and implement specific practice and policies, which promote the health and wellbeing of informal caregivers, to enable them to fulfil their potential in terms of participation in paid employment, other social activities and their caregiving duties (DHSSPSNI, 2011; Feinberg, 2014).
The proposed project will examine the economic consequences of mental ill health among informal caregivers in Northern Ireland in terms of employment participation and economic costs. The study will involve an examination of data from the 2001 and 2011 NI Census and mental health prescription data over a one-year period.
The study aims to address two key research questions:
1)How does intensity of informal caregiving and mental health impact upon employment participation in terms of the following outcomes: a) economic activity, b) industry of employment, and c) hours of work? Analysis will be both cross-sectional and longitudinal in nature.
2)What are the direct and indirect economic costs associated with mental ill health among caregivers over a one-year period in terms of a) costs of mental health prescriptions and b) losses in productivity in the workplace?REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NE/0152
Date of REC Opinion
18 May 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion