Anjali Desai

Undergraduate Research in the Neighborhoods

As the US population undergoes a demographic shift due to a rapidly aging population, informal caregiving by friends and family members is becoming more prevalent and imperative. This role can be extremely demanding and contribute to a decline of both physical and mental health in the caregiver. This study aimed to examine the potential differences in the number of poor mental health days experienced per month between caregivers and non-caregivers using data from the national CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data set. Potential confounders were evaluated using multivariate linear regression to determine their role in this relationship. The findings demonstrated that caregivers experienced an average of 1.82 more days of poor mental health per month compared to non-caregivers matched on demographics, and caregivers with low household income were even more susceptible to poor mental health outcomes.  

Learn more about this and other research in the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility.