Factors associated with experiencing informal caregiving as demanding and ability to work among working carers: a national survey from Sweden

Informal carers in paid work are known as working carers (WKCs). This combination of care and work is particular to them, and their support needs may differ from other informal carers. This exploratory study describes the caregiving-related factors associated with experiencing caregiving as demanding and a decreased ability to work in WKCs. The Swedish National Carer Survey was conducted in a stratified random sample (N = 30,009) of the population (≥18 years) between October 2018 and January 2019. Of 11,168 respondents, 818 (7.32%) met the study criteria for WKCs, i.e. they provide informal care to another person on a regular basis, and they work full time. Almost half (49.3%) of WKCs report experiencing caregiving as demanding, while 40.4% indicated that their ability to work had been reduced due to providing informal care. Two ordinal logistic regression models were developed, one each for caregiving is demanding and ability to work is decreased. Psychological stress and financial problems caused by caregiving increased the odds of both experiencing caregiving as demanding and having one’s ability to work decrease, while finding caregiving satisfying decreased the odds of both. Further research is needed to establish how caregiving-related factors affect WKCs in both their care and working roles.