Research

Young carers’ mental wellbeing compromised by long-term caring

The longer children take on caring responsibilities in the home, the more damaging the effects of caring can be for a child’s emotional and mental wellbeing, according to a study conducted by the Manchester Carers Forum (MCF) in conjunction with Loughborough University’s Young Carers Research Group (YCRG).

A young carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 who helps to provide care for a sick or disabled adult in the home. It is estimated that there may be as many as 700,000 young carers in the UK. As part of their study, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with fifty young carers in Manchester. They found that some young carers develop coping strategies to deal with the psychological effects of caring, but others, in particular those children who have been caring for long periods of time, for example two years or more, do not cope well.

Dr Jo Aldridge of YCRG said: “Long-term and disproportionate caring activity among children adversely affects their health and wellbeing. They are less optimistic about the future and have lower self esteem. We also know from recent research that there are far more young carers than was previously estimated, which means more children are likely to be adversely affected by long-term caring responsibilities.”

The study highlighted that some young carers who are not providing care for prolonged periods cope better with the demands of caring. Females are also more likely than males to be adversely affected by caring, and all carers in the 14 to 17 age group who have been caring for two years or more have lower self esteem and less interest in new things and in developing relationships with others.

“Our findings clearly show that children should not be caring over long periods of time without help and support and that it is essential to intervene early in family life in order to prevent children taking on inappropriate or long-term caring responsibilities,” said Dave Williams, MCF Project Manager.

“Whilst the research indicates resilience on the part of young carers, we must ensure that disproportionate levels of caring responsibility do not hinder the life chances of our young people.”

The study was funded by the Manchester Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services.