A cross-national and comparative classification of in-country awareness and policy responses to ‘young carers’

The reality for many families where there is chronic illness, mental health problems, disability, alcohol or substance misuse is that children under the age of 18 are involved in caring. Many of these children – known as ‘young carers’ – will be providing regular and significant care, either episodically or over many years, often ‘hidden’ to health, social care and other welfare professionals and services. These children have most often been invisible in social policy and professional practice. What are the reasons why some countries recognize young carers as a priority for social policy while others (most) do not? What are the key factors that influence a country’s awareness and responses to these children? This article provides an original classification and analysis of country-level responses to young carers, drawing on published research, grey literature, policy documents and the authors’ extensive engagement in policy and practice networks for young carers and their families in a wide range of countries. The analysis identifies two of the key factors that influence the extent and nature of these policy responses, focusing on the importance of a reliable in-country research base and the contribution of influential national NGOs and their networks

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

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

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

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. Keywords: Caregiving; Mental health; Resilience; Stress; Stress-related growth; Young carer

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

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, Mage = 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

Young carers research, practice and policy: an overview and critical perspective on possible future directions

Many children, adolescents, teenagers, and young adults have caring responsibilities for parents and family members. These young carers and young adult carers are present in every country. Their responsibilities include domestic chores as well as intimate personal care and other forms of helping which are generally seen as the responsibility of adult professionals. First, this article provides an overview and critical perspective on young carers research. Research suggests that 2-8 per cent of children and young people are carers and that the caring role has an impact on their education, health, wellbeing, social opportunities, and employment prospects. Various countries have responded differently with regards to policy: some have well developed services and recognition in law whilst others are only just beginning to recognise the problem. Second, we discuss the issues and challenges for research and propose a new agenda for the development of policy, research rigour, more theoretical sophistication, and a greater awareness of the need for interdisciplinary and multiagency working. Furthermore, we call for participatory and action led research that can provide greater insights into the lived experiences of young people, their needs and how these can be met

Upaya Meningkatkan Kemampuan Membaca Efektif melalui Metode Skimming dan Scanning pada Siswa Kelas VII SMP Negeri Panca Marga Kolimasang

This thesis raises the issue of efforts to improve effective reading skills through skimming and scanning methods for class VII students of SMP Negeri Panca Marga Kolimasang. Reading has several types, including speed reading, silent reading, beautiful reading, language reading and literature reading. Reading speed is a skill that must be trained. Success in mastering and practicing speed reading depends on attitude, level of seriousness, and readiness to practice. However, at school students are not given the opportunity to read so that students are less proficient in speed reading techniques. This study aims to find out and describe whether the use of skimming and scanning methods can improve the effective reading ability of class VII students of SMP Negeri Panca Marga Kolimasang. This type of research is this research is classroom action research (PTK). The implementation of this research consisted of two cycles. each cycle through the stages of planning, implementation, observation, and reflection. The method used is descriptive quantitative. The results of this study indicate that the average reading speed in the pre-cycle is 88 wpm with a total of 6 students who reach the very fast category. The results of students' reading speed after applying the skimming and scanning method in cycle I averaged 129 wpm with 16 students who achieved the very fast category, while in cycle II the average reading speed was 195 kpm with 27 students who achieved the very fast category. Thus it can be concluded that the skimming and scanning method can improve the effective reading skills of class VII students of SMP Negeri Panca Marga Kolimasang

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

ObjectiveResearch 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.DesignWe recruited 2,525 adolescents aged 15–21 years (59.6% female, Mage = 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).ResultsYoung 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.ConclusionsThis 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

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

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 (M(age) = 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