Exploring Perceptions of Young Adult Carers in The UK
Over 314,000 Young Adult Carers have been identified in England and Wales and it’s likely that there are more who have gone unrecognised as they are a ‘hidden’ group in society.
By Deena Camps.
Photo by Chalo Garcia on Unsplash
My experience of being a long-term carer underpinned my motivation and rationale for my final year project at university. I conducted a qualitative research project exploring people’s perceptions of young adult carers (YACs) in the UK and this is something I’d like to discuss further.
Literature
YACs are 18-24-year olds who provide persistent unpaid care for a relative or friend acquiring a disability, physical or mental ailment, or an addiction (Becker & Becker, 2008). Over 314,000 YACs have been identified in England and Wales (Zuvac-Graves, 2019) and it’s likely that there are more who have gone unrecognised as they are a ‘hidden’ group in society (Levine et al., 2005). Consequently, there is a scarcity in the literature concerning the lives of YACs as compared to young carers (below 18 years of age) (Dearden & Becker, 2004).
The largest and most extensive study to date exploring the complex lives of YACs was led by Becker and Becker (2008). This study found that YACs typically meet the physical, intimate, and psychological needs of another person alongside home maintenance.
Other findings include:
Reports of a huge loss in personal free time due to their caring role, reducing the likelihood of participation in leisure activities, engaging in a social life, and having some alone downtime.
Participants’ caring role had troublesome effects on their relationships with friends, the person(s) being cared for, and on the maintenance of romantic relationships.
Poor educational attendance played a key role in the underperformance of studies, consequently restricting options for further study and career prospects.
Manging multiple commitments proves complex and stressful.
None of the students conveyed an awareness of support services at university.
Most participants were experiencing monetary hardship resulting from caregiving and living in a low-income household.
Other evidence relevant to YACs:
Khosla (2008) proposed that an inability to cope with life crises has detrimental effects on one’s physical and psychological quality of life in the future.
Developmentalists have conceptualised ‘emerging adulthood’ as a significant era in life and most ‘volitional’ years of life (Arnett, 2000).
Young adults who live with their parents for a long period of time tend to have the poorest psychological adjustment (Dubas & Peterson, 1996).
Masten et al. (2004) propose that a lack of preparation for adulthood transition can disturb coping capacity and coerce early adults into situations that limit lifelong prospects.
Aims
Providing a psychological spotlight by means of investigating the coping mechanisms and judgement processes adopted by YACs during life crises.
Consider means of raising awareness and ultimately increasing service provision for YACs in the UK.
Method
An experience by proxy methodology was used here. Students participated in a novel psycho-social problem-solving activity (commitment reduction exercise) during semi-structured interviews. These encompassed a hypothetical scenario of a young adult carer and their world. Questions were asked to explore participants’ ability to empathise with a YAC coupled with attempts to understand how YACs might prioritise and stabilise multiple commitments. Data was analysed using Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
Findings
Two parent themes with corresponding sub-themes were identified, which captured participants’ responses towards the problem-solving exercise.
Parent themes: Pragmatic Decision Making and Empathetic responses
Subthemes: Selflessness, Uncertainty, Entrapment, and Problematic Identity
Participants decisions during the commitment-reduction exercise were underpinned by the idea of YAC ‘selflessness’ (prioritising care role and time-saving) and ‘uncertainty’ concerning their awareness of support systems for YACs.
Emotional reactions towards the psycho-social activity included the notions of YAC role ‘entrapment’ and deliberations about how their role might serve as a ‘problematic identity’.
All participants proposed constructive coping strategies.
Discussion
Strengths of the study:
Findings were in harmony with existing literature.
It enables us to identify areas for remediation (e.g. emphasising the importance of self-care, nurturing emotional resilience and promoting meaning-focused coping strategies) which will safeguard the wellness and future adjustment of YACs in the UK.
Intends to raise awareness of the YAC community and urges for service providers (including charities, universities and statutory care services) to make efforts to educate the public about YACs, whilst directly informing YACs themselves of available support systems.
Usefulness of the psycho-social activity:
Useful for tapping into the psychological health and cognitive styles of the participants. It could also be adapted to investigate other psychological concepts e.g. illness perceptions and context-specific coping styles.
A modified version might serve as a useful tool in clinical settings (e.g. in individual and systemic psychotherapy) to explore concepts such as patients’ perspective taking and perceptions of others.
Could be used as a basic framework for improving individuals’ empathic abilities and with children in primary and secondary schools as a psychoeducation tool.
Further research:
Direct exploration of decision-making and coping mechanisms among YACs.
YACs’ views of educational and/or workplace professionals (relating to identity disclosure).
The impact being a YAC (for a parent) might have on parent-child relations.
Possible effects gender has on a YAC’s inclination to openly reveal their caregiving role with others (including friends and educational staff).
References
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469.
Becker, F., & Becker, S. (2008). Young adult carers in the UK: Experiences, needs and services for carers aged 16-24. London: The Princess Royal Trust for Carers.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Dearden, C., & Becker, S. (2004). Young carers in the UK: The 2004 report. London: Carers UK.
Dubas, J. S., & Petersen, A. C. (1996). Geographical distance from parents and adjustment during adolescence and young adulthood. In J. A. Graber & J. S. Dubas (Eds.), New directions for child development, No. 71. Leaving home: Understanding the transition to adulthood (pp. 3-19). San Francisco, CA, US: Jossey-Bass.
Khosla, M. (2008). Need for coping with life crises: Implications for the quality of life. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 34[special issue], 46-52.
Levine, C., Hunt, G.G., Halper, D., Hart, A.Y., Lautz, J., & Gould, D. A. (2005). Young adult caregivers: A first look at an unstudied population. American Journal of Public Health, 95(11), 2071-2075.
Masten, A. S., Burt, K. B., Roisman, G. I., Obradović, J., Long, J. D., & Tellegen, A. (2004). Resources and resilience in the transition to adulthood: Continuity and change. Development and Psychopathology, 16(4), 1071-1094.
Zuvac-Graves, K. (2019). Carers Rights Day: 7 facts you might not know about young carers. Retrieved from: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/news-and-blogs/our-blog/facts-you-might-not-know-about-young-carers