The emotional and mental health needs of young carers: what psychiatry can do

Dharampal, Roswitha; Ani, Cornelius

doi:10.1192/bjb.2019.78

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…A substantial body of published international research provides evidence on the adverse psychosocial impacts on youth caring for a family member, particularly a parent, who has a serious mental or physical health condition [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Most studies in this field have investigated children and adolescents up to the age of 18 years (referred to as young carers), with markedly less research on young adult carers (18–24 years) [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young Adult Carers during the Pandemic: The Effects of Parental Illness and Other Ill Family Members on COVID-19-Related and General Mental Health Outcomes

Landi

Pakenham

Grandi

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young adult carers have been neglected. This study aimed to identify COVID-19 related risk factors for young adult carers and to investigate their mental health relative to non-carer peers. Of the 1823 Italians aged 18–29 who completed an online survey, 1458 reported no ill family member (non-carers). Young adult carers included 268 with an ill parent, and 97 with an ill non-parent family member. Two mental health outcome categories were measured: COVID-19-related (risky health behaviors, loneliness, home violence, fear of COVID-19) and general (anxiety, depression, wellbeing). Six COVID-19 related risk factors were significantly correlated with poorer mental health in young adult carers. These factors constituted a COVID-19 Context Index. Compared to non-carers, young adult carers reported poorer mental health across all outcomes, as expected. The prediction that young adult carers caring for an ill parent would report poorer mental health than those caring for ill non-parent family members was evident only for the COVID-19-related mental health outcomes. The elevated rates of clinically significant distress and pandemic-related mental health problems among young adult carers highlight this group as a priority for mental health promotion interventions and whole-of-family support across multiple sectors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young Adult Carers during the Pandemic: The Effects of Parental Illness and Other Ill Family Members on COVID-19-Related and General Mental Health Outcomes

Landi

Pakenham

Grandi

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A recent study found that adolescents and young adults with caring roles spent about 3–5 h helping each day (Haugland et al 2019 ). Due to their responsibilities, these young carers’ day-to-day lives can be stressful (e.g., Ali et al 2012 ), with potential risks to their own mental health (e.g., Dharampal and Ani 2020 ). However, not all young carers experience adverse impacts on their emotional well-being (e.g., Svanberg et al 2010 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways to Mental Well-Being in Young Carers: The Role of Benefit Finding, Coping, Helplessness, and Caring Tasks

Wepf

Joseph

Leu

2021

J Youth Adolescence

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Although prior research has shown that young carers may perceive benefits from their challenging situation, it is unclear how and when benefit finding leads to better mental health. This study examines pathways through which benefit finding may influence mental well-being. Self-reported data were obtained from 601 adolescents aged 15–21 (Mage = 17.87, 71.9% female) who provided care for a close person with physical or mental health problems. Benefit finding was associated with better mental well-being directly as well as indirectly via better coping and lower helplessness. These findings were similar across young carers with different caring task profiles, except for a few differences regarding social/emotional and instrumental care. The study suggests that benefit finding could promote coping skills and mental well-being in adolescent young carers with implications for the design of future research on interventions with young carers.

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“…A caring role influences youth's lives in various wayspositively and negatively (Joseph et al, 2009). Concerning mental health, scholars have highlighted risks for potential adverse outcomes due to caring (e.g., Dharampal & Ani, 2020). However, the small number of comparative studies, broad age ranges, and a lack of theoretical foundation limit the understanding of the observed association between youth's carer role status and mental health.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Well-Being and Perceived Stress of Adolescent Young Carers: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

Wepf

Leu

2021

J Child Fam Stud

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Adolescent young carers have been described as a hidden group at risk of mental health problems. However, research has not yet clarified the effect of caring when considering the related family situation. We aimed to examine the impact of a caring role on adolescents’ mental health and to gain knowledge about adolescent young carers’ specific needs. We collected cross-sectional data from adolescents (15–21 years, N = 2525) recruited through educational institutions in German-speaking Switzerland. Based on self-reported answers regarding the presence or absence of a family member with health problems and youth’s caring activities, the participants were grouped into three subsamples. We compared mental health outcomes (well-being and perceived stress) in current carers and their peers, and we conducted multiple regression analyses for predicting these outcomes among all adolescents and the subsample of carers. Adolescent young carers had lower levels of well-being and higher levels of perceived stress than their peers. However, when controlling for background variables, well-being levels were lower only when carers were compared to adolescents from a healthy family background. Indicators of family instability predicted mental health outcomes independently of being a carer. More recognition for the caring role predicted better well-being and perceived stress outcomes, and more support in caring predicted better well-being but not perceived stress outcomes. The findings suggest that a caring role is not necessarily related to decreased well-being in adolescents, but it is associated with higher levels of perceived stress. The way professionals and services respond to young carers’ specific needs should be improved.

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The emotional and mental health needs of young carers: what psychiatry can do

Cited by 21 publications

References 50 publications

Young Adult Carers during the Pandemic: The Effects of Parental Illness and Other Ill Family Members on COVID-19-Related and General Mental Health Outcomes

Young Adult Carers during the Pandemic: The Effects of Parental Illness and Other Ill Family Members on COVID-19-Related and General Mental Health Outcomes

Pathways to Mental Well-Being in Young Carers: The Role of Benefit Finding, Coping, Helplessness, and Caring Tasks

Well-Being and Perceived Stress of Adolescent Young Carers: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

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