OP47 Caregiving is associated with a lower risk of suicide: a longitudinal study of almost 200, 000. (31st August 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: O'Reilly, D; Rosato, M; Maguire, A; Wright, D
• Is Part Of: Journal of epidemiology and community health. Volume 69(2015)Supplement 1
• Page Start: A29
• Page End: A29
• Publication Date: 2015-08-31
• Subjects: Carers -- suicide -- data linkage; Public health -- Periodicals; Epidemiology -- Periodicals; 614.4
• DOI: 10.1136/jech-2015-206256.46
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-005X

Abstract

Abstract : Background: There is a significant body of evidence associating caregiving with poor mental health and recent studies suggest that caregivers are more likely to contemplate suicide than non-caregivers. However, no study to date has explored the relationship between caregiving and actual suicide. This study uses a large population-based linkage database to (i) explore the association between caregiving and self-reported mental morbidity, and (ii) quantify the relationship between caregiving and suicide risk. Methods: A 2011 Census-based study of 1, 037, 475 people (including 183, 811 caregivers) aged 25–74 with mortality follow-up for thirty-three months. Caregiving was categorised as either light (1–19 h/week) or intense (twenty or more). Suicide risk was assessed using Cox Proportional Hazards models with adjustment for and stratification by mental health status at census. Methods: The cohort experienced 390 suicides during follow-up (31 to caregivers). Although caregivers were more likely to suffer from poor mental health (ORadj = 1.17: 1.14, 1.20) for those providing twenty or more hours/week, the suicide risk for caregivers was lower – HRadj = 0.60 (0.37, 0.98) and HRadj = 0.58 (0.33, 1.00) respectively for those providing light and intense caregiving. However, this was modified by base-line mental health: for those not reporting poor mental health, caregiver suicide risk was about half that of non-caregivers, while for those reporting poor mental health there was no significant difference between caregivers and non-caregivers. Conclusion: Although this large and representative population study demonstrates that suicide risk is not raised for the majority of caregivers, it is evident that a large proportion of caregivers report poor mental health and there is a need to support caregivers to reduce potential physical and mental ill-effects associated with their role.