Sandra Diminic1,2, Yong Yi Lee3,4,5, Emily Hielscher3,4,6, Meredith G Harris3,4, Jan Kealton7, Harvey A Whiteford3,4,8. 1. School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. sandra_diminic@qcmhr.uq.edu.au. 2. Policy and Epidemiology Group, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park-Centre for Mental Health, Locked Bag 500, Archerfield, QLD, 4108, Australia. sandra_diminic@qcmhr.uq.edu.au. 3. School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. 4. Policy and Epidemiology Group, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park-Centre for Mental Health, Locked Bag 500, Archerfield, QLD, 4108, Australia. 5. Deakin Health Economics, Institute for Health Transformation, School for Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia. 6. Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. 7. , Carer Consultant, Gold Coast, Australia. 8. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To quantify and value the total informal support provided by family and friends to Australian adults with mental illness in 2018. METHODS: The number of mental health carers was drawn from the 2015 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC), adjusted to the 2018 population. Annual caring hours by type of assistance were estimated using the SDAC, 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing and an online carer survey. Caring hours for each task were assigned an hourly replacement cost from the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Informal caring was valued as the sum of these costs minus expenditure on carer income support payments, estimating how much it would hypothetically cost governments to replace this care with formal support services. RESULTS: An estimated 354,000 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 327,000-383,000) Australian mental health carers provided 186 million (95% UI: 159-215) hours of support in 2018. The estimated replacement cost was AU$8.4 billion (95% UI: 7.0-10.0), excluding AU$1.3 billion in income support. Univariate sensitivity analyses demonstrated that results were robust to variation in model inputs, with total caring hours the most influential parameter. Using an alternative estimate of mean caring hours, the replacement cost could be as high as AU$13.2 billion (95% UI: 11.2-15.4). CONCLUSION: Informal carers provide substantial support to people with mental illness, highlighting their important contribution to the mental health system and reinforcing the need for carer support services. Future valuation studies would benefit from refinement of available data collections, particularly on hours and types of care provided.
PURPOSE: To quantify and value the total informal support provided by family and friends to Australian adults with mental illness in 2018. METHODS: The number of mental health carers was drawn from the 2015 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC), adjusted to the 2018 population. Annual caring hours by type of assistance were estimated using the SDAC, 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing and an online carer survey. Caring hours for each task were assigned an hourly replacement cost from the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Informal caring was valued as the sum of these costs minus expenditure on carer income support payments, estimating how much it would hypothetically cost governments to replace this care with formal support services. RESULTS: An estimated 354,000 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 327,000-383,000) Australian mental health carers provided 186 million (95% UI: 159-215) hours of support in 2018. The estimated replacement cost was AU$8.4 billion (95% UI: 7.0-10.0), excluding AU$1.3 billion in income support. Univariate sensitivity analyses demonstrated that results were robust to variation in model inputs, with total caring hours the most influential parameter. Using an alternative estimate of mean caring hours, the replacement cost could be as high as AU$13.2 billion (95% UI: 11.2-15.4). CONCLUSION: Informal carers provide substantial support to people with mental illness, highlighting their important contribution to the mental health system and reinforcing the need for carer support services. Future valuation studies would benefit from refinement of available data collections, particularly on hours and types of care provided.
Authors: Harvey Whiteford; Gemma McKeon; Meredith Harris; Sandra Diminic; Dan Siskind; Roman Scheurer Journal: Aust N Z J Psychiatry Date: 2014-07-07 Impact factor: 5.744
Authors: Carol Harvey; Lisa Brophy; Samuel Parsons; Kristen Moeller-Saxone; Margaret Grigg; Dan Siskind Journal: Aust N Z J Psychiatry Date: 2015-10-14 Impact factor: 5.744
Authors: Isaac Aranda-Reneo; Juan Oliva-Moreno; Cristina Vilaplana-Prieto; Álvaro Hidalgo-Vega; Almudena González-Domínguez Journal: J Ment Health Policy Econ Date: 2013-09