Carers the most unhappy in Australia

Carers the most unhappy in Australia

People who care for sick or disabled family and friends are the most unhappy Australians, according to research presented at a major psychology conference.

"They have the lowest level of wellbeing in any population group," said Deakin University psychology researcher Thomas Hammond.

Close to 40% reported extremely severe symptoms of depression and stress, he said, citing results from the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index survey of more than 4000 carers. They were less happy than unemployed lonely people and those who earn under $15,000 a year.

The most stressed and depressed were those who cared for a mentally ill child or a child with multiple disabilities. The next most unhappy were those who cared for a chronically ill or disabled parent.

Overall, voluntary carers have a personal wellbeing score of 58.5 points out of 100, compared with the normal range of 73.6-76.3.

"What is really affected is their subjective wellbeing. Their level of happiness and life satisfaction," said Mr Hammond, a speaker at the Australian Psychological Society annual conference in Cairns.

The people in the survey were informal unpaid primary carers, who were usually looking after a family member or close friend.

"Being a carer can be quite burdensome. But some studies show some people thrive in the role," said Mr Hammond, who believes there is an urgent need for better support systems. "Despite the considerable benefits of informal caring there is a substantial cost. More often than not it is the carers who pay the price. When carers suffer stress and depression we have another person with a different type of disability."

Leave a Reply