Author: Equalise
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What’s the impact of ‘right to request’ flexible working reforms?
In 2014, a UK policy change gave all employees the right to request flexible working after six months on the job. This study found that the change led more women to reduce their working hours, which helped lower stress and improve life satisfaction. However, men didn’t show the same increase in flexible working, and the…
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How does a carer’s relationship with their care recipient affect mental health?
Caring for others, especially close family members, can affect mental health, but research hasn’t always looked closely at how different caregiving relationships matter. This study found that people who care for spouses or parents, especially women caring for someone in their own household, tend to experience more symptoms of depression. These effects can last over…
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New indicators to analyse how social roles relate to health
Researchers used data from the ALSPAC study to track six key adult roles, across education, employment, and parenthood, among people aged 16 to 31. They developed a method to reliably measure whether someone was in or out of each role each year of the analysed period. The patterns they found, such as when people left…
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How is families’ mental health affected by adverse childhood experiences?
Children in the same family often share difficult early life experiences, but most research looks at just one child at a time. This study found that when a firstborn child experienced adversity, like family violence, parental mental health issues, or substance misuse, during the first 1000 days of life, their siblings were also more likely…
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How does becoming a young carer affect health and wellbeing?
Young people who take on caring responsibilities often experience lower wellbeing, but it’s unclear when these changes begin or how long they last. This study found that young carers already had slightly lower life satisfaction two years before they started caring, and this continued for at least three years after. The impact was greater for…
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What’s the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young carers?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more young people in the UK have taken on caring roles, rising from 8% to nearly 12%. These young carers are more likely to live in single-parent, low-income households and deprived areas. There’s also been an increase in high-intensity caring, especially among girls. Most care is still provided to parents. The…
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What’s the effect of growing up in deprived coastal communities for adult health?
Young people living in coastal areas of England report poorer health than those inland, especially in communities facing high deprivation. Using data from a national study, researchers found that coastal youth had worse self-rated health, more disability, and greater mental health challenges. These differences were strongest in the most deprived coastal areas. The findings suggest…