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ABSTRACT
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 self-efficacy, 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.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.