The mediating role of protective factors in relationship between caregiving components and psychosocial adjustment among young carers: a meta-analysis

Objective: Higher youth caregiving is associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes in young carers; hence a research priority is to investigate protective factors that mitigate the adverse effects of youth caregiving. This systematic review with meta-analysis examined the relationships among youth caregiving components and young carer psychosocial adjustment and protective factors, as well as the mediating role of the protective factors in the relationship between caregiving components and psychosocial adjustment. Methods: Three electronic databases were searched until April 2024 and 10,244 unique publications were identified. Following abstract and title screening, 422 publications were subjected to full-text screening and 60 quantitative studies were included in this study. Results: Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) results revealed positive direct effects of caregiving responsibilities and caregiving experiences on benefit finding (β = .43, 95% CI [.074,.782], p < .05) and emotion regulation (β = .72, 95% CI [.44, 1.00], p < .001), respectively. However, there was neither a significant direct effect of caregiving components on psychosocial adjustment nor a significant indirect effect of caregiving components on psychosocial adjustment through benefit finding or emotion regulation. Conclusion: Findings revealed a need for research into how caregiving contextual factors affect relations among youth caregiving, protective factors, and adjustment.