Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being among Adolescent Young Carers in Europe: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Abstract

It is estimated that 4–8% 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 well-being of adolescent YCs (AYCs) aged 15–17. The RCT will be conducted in six European countries in the context of the Horizon 2020 European funded research and innovation project “Psychosocial support for promoting mental health and well-being among adolescent young caregivers in Europe” (“ME-WE”). The ME-WE intervention is based on Hayes and Ciarrochi’s psychoeducational model for adolescents and will consist of seven 2-h 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), post-intervention (T1) and 3 months follow-up (T2). The COVID-19 pandemic has made amendments necessary to the original study protocol methodology, which we describe in detail. This study will contribute to building an evidence-based 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 evidence-based practices in primary prevention of psychosocial difficulties in AYCs and will gather novel knowledge on the effectiveness of Hayes and Ciarrochi’s model for use with middle adolescents with caring responsibilities. The trial has been preregistered (registration number: NCT04114864).

Adolescent Carers' Psychological Symptoms and Mental Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Study Using Data From the UK Millennium Cohort Study

“…Psychosocial support for adolescent carers should be strengthened to address needs that are modifiable, despite COVID-19 related restrictions. For example, online psychoeducational sessions have been developed using video conference instruments, to build psychological resilience among young carers [32].…”

Difficulties and Needs of Adolescent Young Caregivers of Grandparents in Italy and Slovenia: A Concurrent Mixed-Methods Study

“…Slovenian AYCs’ difficulties in reconciling care activities with school attendance call for training meetings for teachers, school managers, social workers, and psychologists to sensitize them to the phenomenon of AYCs in order to recognize and offer/refer them to appropriate sources of support, e.g., distance (online) lessons, and/or by granting flexibility in getting to and from school and in doing homework. Moreover, the psychological and emotional strains of Slovenian AYCs calls for psycho-educational interventions that can foster the AYCs’ resilience such that they can better manage their emotions and mitigate risks to their mental health and well-being [ 73 ].…”

Research and Innovation for and with Adolescent Young Carers to Influence Policy and Practice—The European Union Funded “ME-WE” Project

“…A randomised controlled trial protocol was developed for the original evaluation design [ 16 ] (see Table 1 ME-WE Clinical Trial Study summary overview). This initially involved a systematic review of quantitative outcome measures concerning mental health, education, social life, family relationships and other socio-economic dimensions.…”

“…However, no changes in essence were introduced to the core intervention content. See Casu et al [ 16 ] for a detailed description of the ME-WE intervention framework and country deliveries. A further delivery approach, arising from the cooperation established in the national BLN with a national NGO in Slovenia, included a two-week camp delivery (Summer 2020).…”

“…The key target group was a sub-group of YCs, i.e., adolescent young carers (AYCs) aged 15–17 years of age. The rationale for choosing this group was that they are experiencing an important transition phase in their lives, from adolescence to adulthood, where personal and social identity are being formed and completion of secondary education is a key factor for transition to adulthood and entry to the labour market and higher education [ 16 ]. There are of course other transition points for young carers (from primary to secondary school; from secondary school to college or university; from education to paid employment; from caring to independence/non-caring, etc.).…”