Students growing up with a chronically ill family member; a survey on experienced consequences, background characteristics, and risk factors

Abstract

BackgroundStudents living with a chronically ill family member may experience significant pressure, stress, and depression due to their caregiving situation. This may also lead to them delaying or dropping out of school when the combination of being a caregiver and their education program are too demanding. This survey study aims to explore the consequences for students of bachelor or vocational education programs when they are growing up with a chronically ill family member and the influence of various background characteristics and risk factors.MethodsA survey was sent to 5997 students (aged 16–25 years) enrolled in bachelor or vocational education programs in the north of the Netherlands. The content of the survey was based on a literature study and consultation with experts. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and logistic regression analyses were performed.ResultsA total of 1237 students (21%) responded to the survey. A sub group of 237 (19%) students (mean age 21(2.2); 87% female) identified themselves as growing up with a chronically ill family member. More than half (54.9%) of these students indicated that they experienced negative consequences in daily life. A significant association (OR .42, p < .02) was found for these consequences and the level of education for which attending vocational education yields a higher risk. In addition, growing up with a mentally ill family member was associated with a 2.74 (p = .04) greater risk of experiencing negative consequences in daily life compared to students living with a family member with a physical disorder or multiple disorders.ConclusionSince a substantial number of students growing up with a chronically ill family member indicate serious physical, mental, and social consequences as a result of this care situation, awareness for this specific age-group is needed. Students with a mentally ill family member and students undertaking vocational education appear to be especially at risk. Further research is required in order to gain insight that is more in-depth into the exact type of problems that these students encounter and the specific needs that they have regarding support.

Parental illness and life satisfaction among adolescents. A cross-sectional study of moderating effects of school climate indicators

“…We studied parental illness regardless of diagnosis and found great differences in life satisfaction depending on whether the parental illness was physical or mental, related impairment of the ill parent, and number of ill parents. Differences in the odds of low life satisfaction across parental illness status is in line with the ndings of Van der Werf et al [4] and Krattenmacher et al [37]. Van der Werf et al [4] found that students living with a mentally ill parent were at greater risk of negative consequences in their daily life than those living with a physically ill parents.…”

“…Differences in the odds of low life satisfaction across parental illness status is in line with the ndings of Van der Werf et al [4] and Krattenmacher et al [37]. Van der Werf et al [4] found that students living with a mentally ill parent were at greater risk of negative consequences in their daily life than those living with a physically ill parents. Likewise, Krattenmacher et al [37] found a higher frequency of emotional and behavioral problems among children living in families with parental mental illness, than in families with prenatal cancer.…”

“…When a parent becomes ill, the whole family is affected. Physical or mental illness may reduce the parental capacity [1] and result in role reversal, emotional and behavioral problems among the children, and lack of parent's attention [2][3][4]. Parental illness might even hamper the psychosocial development of the child and pose a potential risk to their mental and social functioning [5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

Anxiety and depressive symptoms among COVID-19 patients in Jianghan Fangcang Shelter Hospital in Wuhan, China

“…In addition, patients with family members diagnosed with COVID-19 were more vulnerable to depressive symptoms, owing to greater family burden and psychological distress [ 53 , 54 ]. Compared with patients with less physical symptoms, patients with more physical symptoms were more likely to have depressive symptoms because they were more severe and the prevalence of depressive symptoms in relation to the severity of the disease [ 50 ].…”

Anxiety and Depression Symptoms of Patients in Fangcang Shelter Hospital During the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: a Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study

“…There now is consensus that the gender difference in depression has a multifactorial etiology, for example, there is a con uence of hormonal and neurodevelopmental changes that vary by sex during the pubertal transition and may in uence the gender difference in depression [40]. In addition, when patient's family members were also diagnosed COVID-19, patients were more vulnerable to depression symptoms, owing to greater family burden and psychological distress [41,42].Compared to patients with less physical symptoms, patients with more physical symptoms were more likely have depression symptoms, because they were more severe and prevalence of depression symptom in relation to the severity of the disease [38].…”