Promoting Mental Health and Well‐Being among Adolescent Young Carers in Europe: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol
- Författare
- Giulia Casu, Valentina Hlebec, Licia Boccaletti, Irena Bolko, Alessandra Manattini, Elizabeth Hanson
- Titel
- Promoting Mental Health and Well‐Being among Adolescent Young Carers in Europe: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol
- Utgivningsår
- 2021
- Tidskrift
- Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health
- Volym
- 18
- Häfte
- 4
- Sidor
- 2045
- Url
- doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042045
- Nyckelord
- adolescent young carers; primary prevention intervention; mental health; well‐being; resilience; psychoeducational model; acceptance and commitment therapy; randomized controlled trial; study protocol; cross‐national study
- Sammanfattning
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).