SynthesisSocial psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology2022
Mental health of young informal carers: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Unpaid caregiving and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic-A systematic review of the quantitative literature.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Major mental disorders among family caregivers: a nation-wide register-based study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Article
- Adolescents with close relatives affected by severe health conditions: prevalence and psychosocial correlates of mental well-being in a Swedish cross-sectional school-based study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Article
- Association Between Youth Who Are Caregivers and Depression: The Mediating Role of Social Support.The Journal of school health · 2026Article
- Experiences of discrimination and positive treatment among people who support a person with a mental health condition: a nationally representative survey.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- When family caregiving happens: life-course timing and health outcomes in later life.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- The Impact of Coping and Psychological Flexibility on Young Adult Caregivers' Mental Health and Quality of Life.The journal of behavioral health services & research · 2026Article
- Informal Caregivers As True Partners In Mental Health Recovery: Is It Time For A Complete Rewrite?Clinical neuropsychiatry · 2026Article
- Huntington's disease caregivers: A qualitative exploration of caregivers experience.Journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- Care burden and outcomes in young carers during and after the COVID‑19 pandemic: psychological distress and cognitive-emotional aspects.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A Longitudinal Analysis Comparing the Mental Health of Children By Level of Young Carer Status.Journal of adolescence · 2025Article
- The prevalence, characteristics, and psychological wellbeing of unpaid carers in the United Kingdom.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
- Changes in life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-rated health before, during, and after becoming a young carer in the UK: a longitudinal, propensity score analysis.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2025Article
- Young Carers in Early Childhood-How Are Young Carers Represented in Broader Literature and What Factors Influence Dominant Representations of Young Carers in Early Childhood in the UK?Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Identifying Caregiving Youth and Associated Mental Health Concerns in a Medical Clinic Setting.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Longitudinal associations between informal caring, social network, and psychological distress among adolescents and young adults: modelling within-person effects.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Informal care in different European care systems: Effects of caregiving on mental health over time.PloS one · 2025Article
- Get-togethers: Guided Peer-Support Groups for Young Carers.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Understanding the unmet support needs of young and young adult carers and their families.PloS one · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeThis systematic review aims to assess and evaluate quantitative evidence on the association between informal caregiving and mental health in young people.
methodsThis review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021251666). We conducted our search in the following four databases: Medline (PubMed and OVID), EMBASE, PsycInfo and Web of Science. The last search was performed on the 17th of March of 2021. Quantitative studies that focused on carers aged 25 years or less and compared the mental health status of carers and non-carers were eligible for inclusion. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for eligibility and performed the quality assessment using the Risk of Bias tool in Non-Randomised Studies of Exposures (ROBINS-E).
resultsWe identified a total of ten eligible articles. Mental health outcomes included depression, anxiety and other mental or emotional problems. Nine out of the ten studies showed that being a young carer was consistently associated with poor mental health. However, the overall quality of evidence was low, and longitudinal data were limited to three articles. The primary sources of bias were confounding and outcome measurement.
conclusionYoung carers experience poorer mental health outcomes than their non-caring peers. However, we identified an overall lack of quantitative evidence of high methodological rigour. To establish if young caring leads to poor mental health, future research should focus on addressing the identified methodological limitations and understanding the mechanisms explaining these associations. Addressing these gaps can better inform the allocation of appropriate support and resources to optimise the mental health of young carers.
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