Much attention has been paid to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care but the impact on informal caregivers has remained speculative. In Austria, like in other European countries, informal care is carried out overwhelmingly by (non-cohabiting) relatives. Limited care services available during the pandemic, social-distancing, increased unemployment and competing care needs within households (e.g. due to school closures) may have changed the prevalence and intensity of informal caregiving. Moreover, these changes may have increased the psychological strain experienced by caregivers. Focusing on Austria, this study aims to empirically analyse the following research questions: how have the prevalence and intensity of informal care changed due to the pandemic? How has the psychological well-being of informal caregivers been affected? We use a pre- and post-onset of the pandemic research design based on a representative survey carried out in Austria in June 2020 (N = 2000) in combination with comparable 2015 data from the European Social Survey. Findings suggest that neither prevalence nor intensity of informal care changed significantly due to the pandemic. However, the psychological well-being gap between carers and non-carers increased with the start of the pandemic, especially among men. Findings are discussed in relation to the policy measures implemented and possible policy implications for the future.

COVID-19 大流行对长期护理的影响引起了很多关注，但对非正式护理人员的影响仍然是推测性的。在奥地利，与其他欧洲国家一样，非正式照料绝大多数由（非同居）亲属提供。大流行期间提供的有限护理服务、社会疏离、失业增加和家庭内部相互竞争的护理需求（例如由于学校停课）可能已经改变了非正式护理的流行和强度。此外，这些变化可能增加了看护者的心理压力。本研究以奥地利为重点，旨在实证分析以下研究问题：由于大流行，非正式护理的流行程度和强度发生了怎样的变化？非正式照顾者的心理健康受到了怎样的影响？我们使用基于 2020 年 6 月在奥地利进行的一项代表性调查的大流行病发病前和发病后的研究设计（N  = 2000）与来自欧洲社会调查的 2015 年可比数据相结合。研究结果表明，由于大流行，非正式护理的流行率和强度都没有发生显着变化。然而，照顾者和非照顾者之间的心理健康差距随着大流行的开始而扩大，尤其是在男性中。讨论结果与实施的政策措施和对未来可能的政策影响有关。