scholarly journals Young carers in the COVID-19 pandemic: risks for mental health

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 100307
Author(s):  
Tania L King
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Carers

scholarly journals Young carers, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing: A realist synthesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ed Janes ◽  
Donald Forrester ◽  
Hayley Reed ◽  
G. J. Melendez‐Torres
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Realist Synthesis ◽  
Young Carers ◽  
Psychosocial Wellbeing

Adversity and poverty

Child Poverty ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 159-178
Author(s):  
Morag C. Treanor
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Young Carers ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Hidden Population ◽  
Complex Needs ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Adverse Childhood

Chapter nine looks at the children who are particularly vulnerable and who are at increased risk of living in poverty. Some of these children are living outwith the protection of family and community, e.g. looked after children and refugee/asylum-seeking children, which enhances their risk of poverty and lack of support. Other children are bearing inappropriate levels of responsibility and are a hidden population, such as young carers. There is also a proportion of children who experience trauma and adversity in childhood, sometimes called ‘adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) - such as parental mental health issues, domestic abuse or a parent in prison - that put them at particular risk. These adverse circumstances can also make children more likely to experience complex needs in adulthood, such as homelessness, imprisonment, addiction or mental health issues. It is often the case that these particular adversities are confused with poverty, and there is often the assumption that all children living in poverty are exposed to adverse experiences. This chapter shows that, while it is the minority of children who experience additional adversities in childhood, they comprise a group of children in great need of dedicated services and a dedicated policy response.

scholarly journals 1202Examining the mental health effect of caring among adolescents using augmented inverse probability treatment weighting

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania King ◽  
Ankur Singh ◽  
George Disney
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Treatment Effect ◽  
Health Effect ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Average Treatment Effect ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Complete Case ◽  
Young Carers ◽  
Inverse Probability ◽  
Need For Support

Abstract Background Caring exerts significant impacts on the lives of those providing care, however there has been limited quantitative analysis of the mental health impacts on young carers. This research aimed to estimate the effect of informal caring at age 14/15 years on mental health at age 18/19 years. Methods Data was drawn from Waves 5, 6, 8 (2012-2018) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Effects of caring on mental health were assessed using augmented inverse probability treatment weighting, with adjustment for potential confounders. Caring was assessed with both a binary (any caring vs none), and a three-category variable (no caring, less than daily caring, daily caring). Results In complete case models, binary caring at age 14/15 years was associated with poorer mental health at age 18/19 years, with an average treatment effect (ATE) of 1.10 (95%CI 0.37, 1.83). The ATE of daily caring compared to no caring at age 14/15 years of age was 1.94 (95%CI 0.48, 3.39), and caring less than daily (compared to no caring) was associated with a treatment effect of 0.83(95%CI 0.06, 1.61). Associations were robust to several sensitivity analyses. Conclusions These results suggest there is a mental health impact of caring in adolescence on mental health four years later. Key messages These results highlight the need for support for young carers. Such support is particularly essential for those providing more intensive caring.

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

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Wepf ◽  
Stephen Joseph ◽  
Agnes Leu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Benefit Finding ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Young Carers ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
Challenging Situation ◽  
Mental Well Being

AbstractAlthough 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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