NEW University of Limerick research has revealed that young carers tend to have higher levels of depressive symptoms than those young people who do not provide care to others. The study of young carers aged 14-18 years from across Europe and Ireland reported higher levels of depressive symptoms among this group when compared to youths who did not report a caring role. However, the research also shows that when these young carers reported higher levels of social participation, they were more satisfied with their lives and as such were less depressed. Young carer is the term given to young people, typically under the age of 18, who provide substantial unpaid care to a family member due to illness, disability, mental health, substance misuse or problems related to old age. The International Journal of Adolescence and Youth has published the major study using evidence from 21 EU countries – including Ireland. It was carried out by researchers at the Study of …
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