Resilience amongst young carers: investigating protective factors and benefit-finding as perceived by young carers

This exploratory study considers young carers’ perceptions of factors contributing to their adjustment and benefit finding within
their caregiving role. Benefit-finding, defined as the “process of
deriving positive growth from adversity”, is a key construct within
the domain of positive psychology. A strengths-based perspective
was adopted with young carers, informed by resilience theory and
positive psychology whereby protective factors associated with
adjustment were explored. A mixed methods design was utilised
encompassing a preliminary qualitative phase and a sequential
quantitative phase. A Focus Group in Phase 1 explored factors
perceived by educationally achieving young carers as supporting
them to adjust. Phase 2 continued the exploration of the adjustment factors within a survey design for a population of young
carers. Significant relationships were identified between selfefficacy, social support and school connectedness and young
carer adjustment. Key methodological considerations are
addressed and the theoretical and practical implications of these
findings are discussed.