Health outcomes and psychosocial determinants in young carers: a systematic review

IF 25.4 1区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Lancet Public Health Pub Date : 2025-06-11 DOI:10.1016/s2468-2667(25)00099-4

Aoife Bowman Grangel, Jennifer McMahon, Nikki Dunne, Fay O'Donoghue, Stephen Gallagher

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Abstract

Evidence suggests that young carers (age <25 years) can have worse health outcomes than their peers, yet the long-term effects of caregiving remain unclear. While psychosocial factors influence adult carers' health, their role in young carers' health is understudied. The aim of our Review is to synthesise longitudinal evidence examining young carers' physical and mental health and summarise psychosocial determinants. Databases were searched for eligible studies (eg, longitudinal and health-focused studies, those that included a non-carer comparison group, and studies of carers age <25 years) until Dec 31, 2024. After screening 4362 records, 18 studies met the inclusion criteria with 17 retained for narrative synthesis. All studies were conducted in high-income countries. 17 studies contributed 26 associations between caregiving and health, with 20 for mental health and six for physical health. Three studies identified links between psychosocial factors and mental health. Despite some notable inconsistencies, our findings suggest a small-to-moderate risk of poorer mental health among young carers, with stronger effects for subgroups (eg, high-intensity carers). Evidence on physical health was inconclusive. Social connections appear to play a key part in young carers' mental health. Further large-scale longitudinal studies are needed to clarify inconsistent findings. Unequal conditions of care relating to individual and situational factors could affect health in young carers.

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年轻照护者的健康结果和心理社会决定因素：系统回顾

有证据表明，年轻照顾者（25岁）的健康状况可能比同龄人差，但照顾的长期影响尚不清楚。虽然心理社会因素影响成年照护者的健康，但其在青年照护者健康中的作用尚未得到充分研究。我们回顾的目的是综合考察年轻照顾者身心健康的纵向证据，并总结心理社会决定因素。在数据库中检索符合条件的研究（例如，纵向研究和以健康为重点的研究，包括非护理人员对照组的研究，以及年龄为25岁的护理人员的研究），直到2024年12月31日。在筛选4362份记录后，18项研究符合纳入标准，17项研究保留用于叙事综合。所有研究均在高收入国家进行。17项研究得出了护理与健康之间的26种关联，其中20种与心理健康有关，6种与身体健康有关。三项研究确定了社会心理因素与精神健康之间的联系。尽管存在一些明显的不一致之处，但我们的研究结果表明，年轻护理人员的心理健康状况较差的风险从小到中等，对亚组（例如高强度护理人员）的影响更大。关于身体健康的证据尚无定论。社会关系似乎在年轻看护人的心理健康中起着关键作用。需要进一步的大规模纵向研究来澄清不一致的发现。与个人和情境因素有关的不平等照料条件可能影响青年照料者的健康。

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来源期刊

Lancet Public Health Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

CiteScore

55.60

自引率

0.80%

发文量

305

审稿时长

8 weeks

期刊介绍： The Lancet Public Health is committed to tackling the most pressing issues across all aspects of public health. We have a strong commitment to using science to improve health equity and social justice. In line with the values and vision of The Lancet, we take a broad and inclusive approach to public health and are interested in interdisciplinary research. We publish a range of content types that can advance public health policies and outcomes. These include Articles, Review, Comment, and Correspondence. Learn more about the types of papers we publish.