Caregiving + Migrant Background = Double Jeopardy? Associations between Caregiving and Physical and Psychological Health According to Migrant Backgrounds in Norway

Kamila Hynek, Aslaug Gotehus, Fredrik Methi, Ragnhild Bang Nes, Vegard Skirbekk and Thomas Hansen ()
Additional contact information
Kamila Hynek: Department of Mental Health and Suicide, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway
Aslaug Gotehus: Work Research Institute (AFI), Oslo Metropolitan University, 0130 Oslo, Norway
Fredrik Methi: Department of Health Services Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway
Ragnhild Bang Nes: Department of Mental Health and Suicide, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway
Vegard Skirbekk: Center for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway
Thomas Hansen: Department of Mental Health and Suicide, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 10, 1-13

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.

Keywords: informal care; health; migrant background; well-being; mental distress; Norway (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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