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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Informal caregiving can have detrimental consequences for physical and psychological health, but the impacts are highly heterogenous. A largely ignored question is whether these impacts differ with migrant backgrounds, and whether caregiving and a migrant background combine to create double jeopardy. We explored these questions using large-scale data that allows stratification by sex, regional background, and types (inside vs. outside of household) of caregivers. We used cross-sectional 2021 data collected from two Norwegian counties as part of the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey (N = 133,705, RR = 43%, age 18+). The outcomes include subjective health, mental health, and subjective well-being. The findings show that both caregiving, especially in-household caregiving, and a migrant background relate to lower physical–psychological health. In bivariate analysis, non-Western caregivers, women particularly, reported poorer mental health and subjective well-being (but not physical health) than other caregiver groups. After controlling for background characteristics, however, no interaction exists between caregiver status and migrant background status. Although the evidence does not suggest double jeopardy for migrant caregivers, caution is warranted due to the likely underrepresentation of the most vulnerable caregivers of migrant backgrounds. Continued surveillance of caregiver burden and distress among people of migrant backgrounds is critical to develop successful preventive and supportive intervention strategies for this group, yet this aim hinges on a more inclusive representation of minorities in future surveys.

Details

Title
Caregiving + Migrant Background = Double Jeopardy? Associations between Caregiving and Physical and Psychological Health According to Migrant Backgrounds in Norway
Author
Hynek, Kamila 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gotehus, Aslaug 2 ; Methi, Fredrik 3 ; Ragnhild Bang Nes 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Skirbekk, Vegard 5 ; Hansen, Thomas 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Mental Health and Suicide, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway; [email protected] (K.H.); [email protected] (R.B.N.) 
 Work Research Institute (AFI), Oslo Metropolitan University, 0130 Oslo, Norway; [email protected] 
 Department of Health Services Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway; [email protected] 
 Department of Mental Health and Suicide, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway; [email protected] (K.H.); [email protected] (R.B.N.); Promenta Research Center, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway; Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Arts and Ideas, University of Oslo, 0213 Oslo, Norway 
 Center for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway; [email protected]; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway 
 Department of Mental Health and Suicide, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway; [email protected] (K.H.); [email protected] (R.B.N.); Promenta Research Center, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo Metropolitan University, 0130 Oslo, Norway 
First page
5800
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2819446835
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.