Assessing caring activities in French adolescents and young adults: Relevance of the Multidimension Assessment of Caring Activities for Young Carers (MACA-YC18)

Basilie, Chevrier; Géraldine, Dorard; Eléonore, Jarrige; Stephen, Joseph; Saul, Becker; Agnès, Leu; Aurélie, Untas

Abstract

Background: Young carers (YC) and young adult carers (YAC) have become of interest in research and practice. The 18-item Multidimensional Assessment of Caring Activities for Young Carers (MACA-YC18) was developed for identifying the extent and nature of caring activities across six domains: domestic chores, household management, financial/practical help, personal care, emotional care, and sibling care. The aim of this research was to investigate the psychometric properties of the French version of the MACA-YC18. Methods: Two quantitative studies were conducted in a general population among adolescents and young adults. The sample was composed of 2688 adolescents (Mage = 16.08; SDage = 0.98; 60.60% girls) in Study 1 and 1192 young adults (Mage = 20.52; SDage = 1.89; 78.27% girls) in Study 2. The psychometric properties were examined via construct validity through internal consistencies, confirmatory factorial analysis, and invariance measurement regarding: gender (girls vs. boys), having a sick/disabled relative (having vs. not), relative's type of illness/disability (physical illness vs. mental illness vs. other illnesses/disabilities), providing support to a sick/disabled relative (providing vs. not), and living arrangement (with family vs. not). Results: In both studies, internal consistencies were in line with those reported in the literature, the 6-factor structure was confirmed, and strict invariances were highlighted. Conclusions: Results show that the French version of the MACA-YC18 has good psychometric properties regarding construct validity not only among adolescents but also among young adults. This instrument appears to be a relevant screening tool for identifying and characterizing young carers in the general population.

Citation

Basilie, C., Géraldine, D., Eléonore, J., Stephen, J., Saul, B., Agnès, L., & Aurélie, U. (2022). Assessing caring activities in French adolescents and young adults: Relevance of the Multidimension Assessment of Caring Activities for Young Carers (MACA-YC18). Child: Care, Health and Development, 48(5), 788-799. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12988

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 21, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Feb 19, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-09
• Deposit Date: Feb 22, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 20, 2023
• Journal: Child: Care, Health and Development
• Print ISSN: 0305-1862
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2214
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 48
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 788-799
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12988
• Keywords: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Developmental and Educational Psychology; Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7503107
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cch.12988
• Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Chevrier, B., Dorard, G., Jarrige, E., Joseph, S., Becker, S., Leu, A., & Untas, A. (2022). Assessing caring activities in French adolescents and young adults: Relevance of the Multidimension Assessment of Caring Activities for Young Carers (MACA-YC18). Child: Care, Health and Development, 48( 5), 788– 799, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12988. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.