Examination of the tripartite model of youth caregiving in the context of parental illness

Objective: This study refined the conceptualisation of youth care- giving by testing the tripartite model of youth caregiving pro- posed by Pakenham and Cox, comprising caregiving responsibilities, experiences, and tasks. We also investigated con- vergent validity of the model by examining the unique and joint contributions of the three youth caregiving components to youth adjustment outcomes. Design: A total of 681 Italian youth, 325 young carers and 356 non- carers, aged 11 to 24 years participated in a cross-sectional study. Main outcome measures: Participants completed a questionnaire assessing demographics, youth caregiving, and psycho- social adjustment. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that compared to a one-factor model, the three-factor youth caregiving model pro- vided a better fit to the data in the young carer and non-carer subgroups. The three youth caregiving components predicted var- iations in youth adjustment. Caregiving experiences were the strongest predictor of poorer youth adjustment while caregiving tasks predicted improvement in two youth adjustment outcomes in diverse youth caregiving contexts. Conclusions: Findings support the validity of a three-factor model of youth caregiving, indicating that caregiving responsibilities, experiences, and tasks represent empirically distinct but related youth caregiving components. Interventions should mitigate the adverse and cultivate the positive effects of youth caregiving.