BMJ 1994;308:1510-1511 (4 June)

Letters

Who cares for young carers?

EDITOR, - Sue Jenkins and Candida Wingate discuss the needs of children and young people who help to support adults with disabilities in the community,1 emphasising "the strains of practical everyday caring." We believe that the emotional strains may need even greater consideration and that they vary, depending on the illness of the person being supported at home.

In 1988 we undertook a pilot study of the effects of multiple sclerosis on the children of sufferers.2 In two boroughs we identified 12 families from hospital records and from the membership of the local branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Three parents were fathers and nine mothers; the range of the degree of disability was wide.

Eleven of 15 children complained of extra chores, as Jenkins and Wingate commented on. Twelve of the children were concerned by change in the affected parent's mental sate or personality; nine expressed uncertainties and fears . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Who cares for young carers?
S Jenkins and C Wingate
BMJ 1994 308: 733-734. [Extract] [Full Text]

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