Revue de la littérature sur les jeunes aidants : qui sont-ils et comment les aider ?

Abstract

Young carers (YC) are children and teenagers who provide care, help or support to a relative who is ill or has a disability. This literature review aims at presenting an overview on YC. Previously published studies mainly focused on estimating YC prevalence, exploring the areas in which YC provide help, especially caring activities, as well as positive and negative consequences of the caregiving experience (social, academic, physical, and psychological consequences). Specific tools to evaluate YC have been developed for professionals and researchers. Finally, if many interventions have been proposed for YC, they have rarely been evaluated. The limits of these studies are discussed and research perspectives are suggested.