Abstract A substantial body of research documents the impact of informal care on adult caregivers’ wellbeing, but little is known of the experiences of young carers who attend postsecondary schools in Canada. Despite the estimated 1.25 million young people ages 15–24 assuming caregiving roles in Canada, young carers are a hidden and largely unsupported demographic in Canada. To gain a better understanding of young caregiving in Canada, the current study explores the role of communal orientation, benefit-finding, life satisfaction, and family satisfaction among young student carers. Further, we examine the mediating role of diverse coping strategies to better understand how communal orientation may be associated with wellbeing. One hundred and thirty-seven participants were recruited from two Canadian universities, and data were collected through online surveys. Results showed that while communal orientation and the use of coping strategies were positively associated with benefit finding, communal orientation was negatively associated with life satisfaction and family satisfaction. Use of instrumental support mediated the association of communal orientation with benefit finding. The findings suggest a communal orientation may help young carers find benefit in the caregiving role by enhancing the use of instrumental support coping strategies.

中文翻译：

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青年照顾者的社区定位、利益发现和应对

摘要 大量研究记录了非正式照料对成年照料者福祉的影响，但对在加拿大上中学的年轻照料者的经历知之甚少。尽管加拿大估计有 125 万 15 至 24 岁的年轻人担任看护角色，但在加拿大，年轻看护者是一个隐藏且基本上不受支持的人群。为了更好地了解加拿大的年轻照料者，本研究探讨了社区导向、利益发现、生活满意度和家庭满意度在年轻学生照料者中的作用。此外，我们研究了不同应对策略的中介作用，以更好地了解社区取向如何与幸福感相关联。从加拿大两所大学招募了 137 名参与者，数据是通过在线调查收集的。结果表明，虽然社区取向和应对策略的使用与利益发现呈正相关，但社区取向与生活满意度和家庭满意度呈负相关。工具支持的使用介导了社区导向与利益发现的关联。研究结果表明，社区导向可以通过加强工具支持应对策略的使用，帮助年轻的照顾者在照顾角色中找到好处。工具支持的使用介导了社区导向与利益发现的关联。研究结果表明，社区导向可以通过加强工具支持应对策略的使用来帮助年轻的照顾者在照顾角色中找到好处。工具支持的使用介导了社区导向与利益发现的关联。研究结果表明，社区导向可以通过加强工具支持应对策略的使用，帮助年轻的照顾者在照顾角色中找到好处。