What characterizes adolescent young carers? A multigroup comparative study.

CONTEXT: To identify the characteristics of adolescent young carers (AYCs), studies in the literature have compared them with non-AYCs, but without considering that in the latter group, some face the illness of a relative whereas others do not. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were (1) to identify the characteristics of AYCs as compared with adolescents who are not young carers but are facing the illness/disability of a relative, or adolescents not facing the illness/disability of a relative, and (2) to identify factors associated with being a carer within adolescents facing a relative illness. METHODS: A total of 4000 high school students (grades 10-12, mainly aged 15-17 years, 568 identified as AYCs, 1200 as adolescents facing the illness/disability of a relative without being a carer and 2232 as adolescents not facing the illness/disability of a relative) completed a self-reported questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, illness/disability in the family, caregiving activities (MACA-YC18 and specific emotional support scale), quality of life (KIDSCREEN-10) and mental health (GHQ-12). Chi-square tests, ANOVAs and logistic regressions were performed. RESULTS: AYCs scored lower on the quality-of-life measure compared with adolescents not facing the illness/disability of a relative (p < .001) and had poorer mental health compared with adolescents facing the illness/disability of a relative without being a carer and adolescents not facing the illness/disability of a relative (p < .001). Logistic regressions showed that youth were more at risk to be an AYC when they were females (p < .001), when they had an extracurricular job (p < .001), spoke another language at home (p < .01), had siblings and were one of the oldest siblings (p < .001), and when the relative had a serious or chronic physical illness (p < .001) and lived with the youth (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the importance of distinguishing AYCs, adolescents facing the illness/disability of a relative without being a carer and adolescents not facing the illness/disability of a relative to better describe AYCs, recognizing that as the level of care provided might change over time, adolescents facing the illness/disability of a relative without being a carer could become AYCs or inversely. The factors that emerged could be used by professionals to better identify AYCs.

Prevalence and quality of life of 11-15-year-old adolescent young carers in France: a school-based study.

Our study aimed to establish the prevalence of adolescent young carers (AYCs) among 11-15-year-old French adolescents and explore the impacts of caring on these youths through a comprehensive evaluation of their quality of life. A total of 1983 middle school pupils (mean age = 12.89; 56.23% females) completed self-reported questionnaires evaluating their sociodemographic characteristics, illness/disability in their family, caring activities (MACA-YC18), quality of life (KIDSCREEN-52), perceived health, and academic performance. Descriptive analyses, Chi-square tests of independence, Student's t-tests, and analysis of variance and of covariance were conducted. The results showed that 12.25% of middle school pupils were AYCs. They were mostly females, coming from disadvantaged economic backgrounds. The ill/disabled relative was typically a parent, and 23.87% of respondents reported having more than one ill/disabled relative. The AYCs more often declared an illness or a disability and reported lower quality of life scores than their peers in several dimensions: Physical Well-Being, Psychological Well-Being, Moods and Emotions, Self-Perception, Autonomy, Relations with Parents and Home Life, Financial Resources, School Environment, Social Acceptance. No differences were identified in the Social Support and Peers dimension. Given the high prevalence of AYCs in middle schools and the impact of the situation on their lives, special support should be provided for AYCs, and professionals at school should be trained to better identify and assist AYCs.

Quality of Life of Adolescents Facing a Parental Illness: A Person-Oriented Approach.

Studies that have investigated the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of adolescents facing a parental illness showed inconsistent results, and none used a person-oriented approach allowing for a deeper understanding of their experience. The aim of this study was to compare the HRQoL of adolescents facing a parental illness to that of their peers, and to explore their HRQoL through a person-oriented approach. The sample consisted of 1324 adolescents recruited in secondary schools (11-15 years old). Adolescents completed questionnaires assessing sociodemographic characteristics, parental illness, HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-52), and academic performance and caring activities (MACA-YC18). Adolescents facing a parental illness showed significantly lower HRQoL than their peers on all dimensions. The cluster analysis yielded five patterns of HRQoL among adolescents facing a parental illness: Low HRQoL; High HRQoL; Moderate HRQoL with High Social Acceptance; High Well-Being, High Moods and Emotions, and High Social Support and Peers. These clusters differed according to demographics, the type of parental illness, illness perception, academic performance, and level of caring activities. The Low HRQoL cluster showed especially low academic performance and high level of caring activities. This multidimensional HRQoL evaluation thus helps to foreground the diversity of these adolescents' experiences in order to better address their needs.