CYP Now - Study of Adolescent Young Carers Aged 15

Young carers are children and young people under the age of 18 who provide care, assistance, or support to a family member, carrying out significant caring tasks and assuming a level of responsibility usually associated with an adult.

Researchers found respondents who experienced problems such as bullying tended to be those with high levels of caring responsibility. Picture: Lightfield Studios/Adobe Stock

Full report: Study of Adolescent Young Carers Aged 15–17 in Six European Countries

Report authors: Feylyn Mercedies Lewis, Saul Becker, Thomas Parkhouse, Stephen Joseph, Valentina Hlebec, Maja Mrzel, Rosita Brolin, Giulia Casu, Licia Boccaletti, Sara Santini, Barbara D’Amen, Marco Socci, Renske Hoefman, Nynke de Jong

Published by: International Journal of Care and Caring, April 2022

SUMMARY

The report authors wanted to find out more about young carers aged between 15 and 17. Using an online survey, they gathered data on 2,099 adolescent young carers and non-carers in Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

UK young carers were more likely than those in the other five countries to say being a young carer had a negative effect on their school performance, that they had been bullied and to report mental health problems. They were also more likely to have considered self-harm or considered harming others.

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