An Integrated Analysis of Informal Caregiving and Psychosocial Work Stressors on Mental Health Trajectories in Later Life.

Background: In aging societies, concerns about the financial sustainability of pension systems and rising healthcare expenditure have led to increased reliance on informal care and policies aimed at extending working lives. Consequently, a growing number of older adults combine paid work with informal caregiving, which may exacerbate mental health risks, particularly under adverse working conditions. A joint investigation of informal care and working conditions is needed to account for possible effect modification, but this has rarely been done. This study therefore examines how trajectories of informal caregiving and psychosocial work stressors shape mental health trajectories among older adults. Methods: We used longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE; waves 6, 7, 8, and 9), comprising 13,233 adults aged 50 years and older at baseline from 17 European countries. Cross-domain latent growth models were employed to evaluate the longitudinal associations between informal caregiving, psychosocial work stressors, and mental health. Results: Results indicate that informal caregivers, as well as those who become caregivers within the household, exhibit poorer mental health trajectories. An increase in efforts or a reduction in rewards at work is also associated with declining mental health. Among women, but not men, the combined effect of informal caregiving and adverse psychosocial working conditions amplifies negative mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that an integrated approach to work conditions and care provision may be especially important for protecting women's mental health. Policy efforts should be coordinated and targeted to improve psychosocial working conditions while supporting informal caregivers.