ABSTRACT This paper draws on findings from a qualitative study of the social wellbeing of young people caring for a close family member. The research makes a novel contribution to the international literature by examining the moral resilience of young adult carers. Focus groups or individual, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with fifteen young people in South-East England during 2018–2019. The paper explores whether young people with a seriously ill or disabled family member define and conduct themselves in moral terms and how they respond to the moral challenges of a caring life. It was found that the participants saw moral value in their caring role and their actions reflected a desire to provide compassionate care. Previous research into young adult carers had indicated that the caring role stimulated their political consciousness, but this study suggests that the role also strengthens their moral consciousness. However, designating girls as carers in early life shifts the moral responsibility to females and compounds gender inequity in caring. Hence, there is a need to address social and gender inequalities in care. In addition, healthcare professionals should recognise when statutory input is necessary to facilitate young people’s broader lifeplans.

中文翻译：

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关心的年轻人的道德韧性

摘要本文基于定性研究中对照顾亲密家庭成员的年轻人的社会福利的研究结果。该研究通过检验年轻护老者的道德弹性为国际文学做出了新的贡献。在2018-2019年期间，对英格兰东南部的十五名年轻人进行了焦点小组或半结构化访谈。本文探讨了患有严重疾病或残疾的家庭成员的年轻人是否在道德上定义和行事，以及他们如何应对关爱生活中的道德挑战。结果发现，参与者在他们的关怀角色中看到了道德价值，他们的行为反映了提供同情心的关怀的愿望。先前对年轻的成人护理人员的研究表明，护理人员的角色激发了他们的政治意识，但是这项研究表明，这种作用还增强了他们的道德意识。然而，将女孩指定为早期生活的照顾者，将道德责任转移给女性，并加剧了照顾中的性别不平等。因此，有必要解决护理方面的社会和性别不平等问题。此外，医疗保健专业人员应认识到何时需要法定意见以便利年轻人的更广泛的生活计划。