Doctoral project: Health and health promotion among adolescent young carers in Sweden

Project information

Doctoral student
Miriam Svensson
Supervisor
Elizabeth Hanson
Assistant supervisors
Francesco Barbabella, Lennart Magnusson
Participating organisations
Linnaeus University, The Informal Carers, Care and Caring research group – a research arm of the Nka
Financier
The Informal Carers, Care and Caring research group – a research arm of the Nka
Timetable
2022–2027
Subject
Health science (Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)

More about the project

Young carers are children and young people under the age of 18 who provide care, help or support to a parent, sibling, friend or other close person with a health-related condition, such as physical or mental illness, disability, injury or substance misuse. These children may, for example, take responsibility for household tasks, provide personal care, offer emotional support, act as interpreters, or look after siblings. This responsibility is often likened to that of an adult.

It is estimated that 5-10% of all children in Europe are young carers. Swedish research shows that 7% of 15-year-olds provide extensive care and support to someone close to them. Compared to their peers, young carers generally report poorer physical and mental health and experience more difficulties at school. They may also feel socially excluded, as they are often unknown to professionals in healthcare, social services and among policymakers. Likewise, it is common that school staff are unaware of their caring responsibilities. Nevertheless, it is important to note that also positive experiences of the young caring role are now being explored. Although this is a relatively new area of ​​research, increased resilience, empathy, and closer relationships with care recipients have been identified.

Despite the high number of young carers and the documented risks, knowledge and awareness of this group remain limited in Sweden. In order to promote health and well-being, research is needed that investigates both the potential benefits and the negative consequences of being a young carer. It is also important to explore their specific needs and how they can be reached to receive support. Particular attention should be paid to adolescent young carers, as they are in a transitional phase towards adulthood. This is a critical period during which they must balance their caring responsibilities with challenges such as completing upper secondary education, applying for further studies, or entering the labour market.

The aim of this project is, therefore, to increase the understanding of adolescent young carers in Sweden by investigating factors that may influence their health and experiences of their caring role, as well as identifying their support needs. The project draws on four papers (see below), with the first two based on data from the international, EU-funded ME-WE project.

Paper 1
The aim is to identify adolescent young carers and investigate those factors associated with their perceived health. Specifically, the study focuses on the relationship between demographic characteristics, care provision and received support and the adolescent young carers’ perceived health.

Paper 2
The aim is to investigate factors associated with adolescent young carers’ positive and negative experiences of being an informal carer.

• What is the extent of adolescent young carers’ positive and negative caring experiences?
• What factors are associated with adolescent young carers’ positive and negative caring experiences?

Paper 3
The aim is to explore how adolescent young carers experience their caring role.

Paper 4
The aim is to explore the needs of adolescent young carers and how they can be reached to receive the support they need.