Ludmila Fleitas Alfonzo

Supervisors:

Dr Tania King, Disability and Health Unit, Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne

Dr Ankur Singh, Centre of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. The University of Melbourne

Dr George Disney, Disability and Health Unit, Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne

Title of your PhD:

Mental health of young carers

Abstract:

Young carers are one of the most hidden groups in the population. International estimates suggest that 2-8% of people aged under 25 years provide regular support to someone with a disability, chronic condition, mental illness, alcohol/substance misuse or problems related to aging. These arrangements can adversely impact their mental health. Ludmila’s PhD aims to identify the causal effects of informal caring on mental health among young people and the mechanisms through which these effects arise.

Bio:

Ludmila is a PhD candidate within the Disability and Health Unit. She completed her Master of Public Health at the University of Melbourne. Ludmila is currently employed as a research assistant in the Disability Health Unit. Her work to date has focused on quantifying the impact of multiple social determinants of health on child oral health, mental health and multimorbidity.