The health, well-being and future opportunities of young carers: a population approach

Robison, Oonagh; Inglis, Greig; Egan, James M.

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2020.05.002

Cited by 52 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The results are consistent with other international studies that have demonstrated mental health penalities associated with being a young carer. [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] While these associations are unlikely to be clinically meaningful at the individual level, they may translate into important shifts in the distribution of mental health within the population of young carers. 30 The results indicate that young carers are a population at risk of experiencing poorer mental health, and support is needed to reduce mental health inequalities in this group due to their caring responsibilities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A Canadian study comparing 124 young carers and 124 non-carers found evidence of reduced self-esteem and a higher incidence of depressive symptoms among young carers, 14 and a large school survey among 11,215 pupils of city schools in Glasgow, Scotland found more psychosocial problems among young carers relative to those who did not provide unpaid care. 15 Cross-sectional studies do not provide the temporal information needed to establish whether caring precedes poor mental health or vice versa. To establish evidence of a causal relationship between young caring and health, more prospective or longitudinal studies are needed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Associations between young informal caring and mental health: a prospective observational study using augmented inverse probability weighting

King

Singh

Disney

2021

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between young informal caring and mental health: a prospective observational study using augmented inverse probability weighting

King

Singh

Disney

2021

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Parental illness may adversely affect youth and family functioning. It is estimated that approximately 12% to 15% of youth have a parent with a chronic illness [ 1 , 2 ]. Furthermore, given the ongoing increase in numbers of adults living with a serious medical condition worldwide, the number of youth affected by parental illness is likely to steadily rise [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Model of the Effects of Parental Illness on Youth Adjustment and Family Functioning: The Moderating Effects of Psychological Flexibility on Youth Caregiving and Stress

Landi

Pakenham

Benassi

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Parental chronic illness may adversely impact youth and family functioning. This study examined a moderated mediation model of the effects of parental illness on youth and family functioning derived from the Family Ecology Framework. Consistent with this model, we predicted that youth caregiving and stress would serially mediate the adverse impacts of parental illness on youth adjustment and family functioning and that psychological flexibility would moderate these mediational mechanisms. A total of 387 youth, with parents affected by chronic illness, completed a questionnaire assessing parental illness severity, youth caregiving and stress, psychological flexibility, youth adjustment (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems and psychological wellbeing), and family functioning. Path analyses indicated that the adverse effects of parental illness on youth adjustment and family functioning were serially mediated by youth caregiving and stress. Psychological flexibility buffered the adverse effects of these serial mediators on youth internalizing problems and psychological wellbeing. These findings identified three potential intervention targets: youth caregiving, related stress appraisals, and psychological flexibility. Given the large body of evidence showing that acceptance and commitment therapy fosters psychological flexibility, this intervention approach has the potential to address the psychosocial and mental health vulnerabilities of youth in the context of parental illness, which constitutes a serious public health issue.

show abstract

“…Accordingly, children and adolescents who provide care to family members or close friends with an illness, disability, or frailty may experience negative consequences regarding their own health, development, and career opportunities (e.g. Lakman & Chalmers, 2019;Robison et al, 2020;Stamatopoulos, 2018). This makes young carers, as they are internationally referred, an especially vulnerable group of youth .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefit finding moderates the relationship between young carer experiences and mental well-being

Wepf

Joseph

Leu

2021

Psychology & Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: Research has shown that some young carers face many negative consequences because of their caring experiences, whereas others seem to be unaffected or even report greater well-being. To understand how caring for a family member or close friend can have these different effects, this study compared benefit finding between young carers and their peers and examined its association with mental well-being. Design: We recruited 2,525 adolescents aged 15-21 years (59.6% female, M age = 17.73) through the Swiss education system. They were asked to complete measures of caring experiences, benefit finding, and mental well-being. Young carers (n = 1,137), including adolescents who currently or formerly provided care, were compared to adolescents without caring experiences (n = 1,388). Results: Young carers had a higher level of overall benefit finding than non-carer peers, and their profiles of benefit finding differed regarding the dimensions of growth and empathy. The association between caring experiences and mental well-being was weaker when benefit finding was higher. Benefit finding dimensions were differently associated with mental well-being among young carers. Conclusions: This study shows that caring is associated with benefit finding and suggests that engaging with past stressors in a positive way may promote resilience in young carers.

show abstract

The health, well-being and future opportunities of young carers: a population approach

Cited by 52 publications

References 20 publications

Associations between young informal caring and mental health: a prospective observational study using augmented inverse probability weighting

Associations between young informal caring and mental health: a prospective observational study using augmented inverse probability weighting

A Model of the Effects of Parental Illness on Youth Adjustment and Family Functioning: The Moderating Effects of Psychological Flexibility on Youth Caregiving and Stress

Benefit finding moderates the relationship between young carer experiences and mental well-being

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About