According to a 2018 report by the Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 250,000 children help support a family member with dementia, but few studies exist that describe their experience as family carers. This qualitative descriptive study sought to understand the perceived psychological well-being of adolescents who assist with providing care to family members with dementia. Eleven adolescents ages 12 to 17 caring for older non-parental family members with dementia in northwest Ohio participated in one of three focus group discussions. An adult family member was surveyed about family background and level of assistance provided. The data from the two questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Thematic analysis revealed six themes related to psychological well-being: 1) Feeling compassion for the family member; 2) Finding connection through fun, humor, and mutual affection; 3) Helping even though it is not always pleasant; 4) Feeling good inside about helping family “do stuff”; 5) Believing no one can do it like family; and 6) Reflecting that it is just something that they do. The findings of this study provide new insight into adolescents' experiences of dementia family care and how it affects their psychological well-being. An examination of the themes suggests that secondary caring roles were mostly positive in nature and may help adolescents forge closer family relationships, find opportunities for personal growth and development, and overcome challenges to grow more confident. These findings may also suggest ways to include adolescents in family care as a means of positive growth opportunities.

根据阿尔茨海默氏症协会 2018 年的一份报告，估计有 250,000 名儿童帮助支持患有痴呆症的家庭成员，但很少有研究描述他们作为家庭照顾者的经历。这项定性描述性研究旨在了解协助为患有痴呆症的家庭成员提供护理的青少年的心理健康状况。在俄亥俄州西北部照顾老年痴呆症非父母家庭成员的 12 至 17 岁的 11 名青少年参加了三个焦点小组讨论之一。调查了一名成年家庭成员的家庭背景和提供的援助水平。对两份问卷的数据进行了描述性统计分析。使用主题内容分析来分析焦点小组成绩单。主题分析揭示了与心理健康相关的六个主题：1）对家人的同情；2) 通过乐趣、幽默和相互的感情找到联系；3) 帮助，即使它并不总是令人愉快；4）帮助家人“做事”的内心感觉良好；5）相信没有人能像家人一样做到；6）反映这只是他们所做的事情。这项研究的结果为了解青少年痴呆症家庭护理的经历以及它如何影响他们的心理健康提供了新的见解。对主题的检查表明，次要照顾角色本质上大多是积极的，可以帮助青少年建立更紧密的家庭关系，找到个人成长和发展的机会，并克服挑战以变得更加自信。