6 research outputs found
Promoting mental health and wellâbeing among adolescent young carers in Europe: A randomized controlled trial protocol
It is estimated that 4â8% of youth in Europe carry out substantial care for a family member or significant other. To prevent adverse psychosocial outcomes in young carers (YCs), primary prevention resilience building interventions have been recommended. We describe the study protocol of an international randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an innovative group intervention designed to promote the mental health and wellâbeing of adolescent YCs (AYCs) aged 15â17. The RCT will be conducted in six European countries in the context of the Horizon 2020 European funded research and innovation project âPsychosocial support for promoting mental health and wellâbeing among adolescent young caregivers in Europeâ (âMEâWEâ). The MEâWE intervention is based on Hayes and Ciarrochiâs psychoeducational model for adolescents and will consist of seven 2âh sessions in a group format, aimed to help AYCs build psychological flexibility and live according to their values. The control group will be a waitlist. Primary and secondary outcomes and control variables will be measured at baseline (T0), postâintervention (T1) and 3 months followâup (T2). The COVIDâ19 pandemic has made amendments necessary to the original study protocol methodology, which we describe in detail. This study will contribute to building an evidenceâbased manualized program that educators and health and social care professionals can use to support AYCs in their transition to adulthood. From a research perspective, the outcomes of this study will contribute to evidenceâbased practices in primary prevention of psychosocial difficulties in AYCs and will gather novel knowledge on the effectiveness of Hayes and Ciarrochiâs model for use with middle adolescents with caring responsibilities. The trial has been preregistered (registration number: NCT04114864)