Young carers in Japan: Reliability and validity testing of the BBC/University of Nottingham young carers survey questionnaire and prevalence estimation in 5000 adolescents
Akiko Kanehara,
Ryo Morishima,
Yusuke Takahashi,
Haruna Koike,
Kaori Usui,
Shun‐ichi Sato,
Akito Uno,
Yutaka Sawai,
Yousuke Kumakura,
Sho Yagishita,
Satoshi Usami,
Masaya Morita,
Kentaro Morita,
Sho Kanata,
Naohiro Okada,
Syudo Yamasaki,
Atsushi Nishida,
Shuntaro Ando,
Shinsuke Koike,
Tomoko Shibuya,
Stephen Joseph,
Kiyoto Kasai
Affiliations
Akiko Kanehara
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Ryo Morishima
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Yusuke Takahashi
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Haruna Koike
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Kaori Usui
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
Shun‐ichi Sato
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Akito Uno
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Yutaka Sawai
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Yousuke Kumakura
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Sho Yagishita
Department of Structural Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
Satoshi Usami
Graduate School of Education The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
Masaya Morita
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Kentaro Morita
Department of Rehabilitation The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Sho Kanata
Department of Psychiatry Teikyo University Hospital Tokyo Japan
Naohiro Okada
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Syudo Yamasaki
Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan
Atsushi Nishida
Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan
Shuntaro Ando
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Shinsuke Koike
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Tomoko Shibuya
Faculty of Humanities Seikei University Tokyo Japan
Stephen Joseph
School of Education University of Nottingham Nottingham UK
Kiyoto Kasai
Department of Neuropsychiatry The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
Abstract Aim Young carers (YCs) refer to children under the age of 18 who assume responsibilities that would normally be assumed by adults, such as caring for family members in need of care. In recent years, the concept of YCs has been expanding in Japan, and the government has been rapidly implementing strategies to support them. There is a need for a survey scale for YCs that uses standardized methods that can be compared internationally. Method The BBC/University of Nottingham Survey for estimating the prevalence of YCs and caring activities of United Kingdom adolescents was translated into Japanese, and its reliability and validity were tested with 313 adolescents. Moreover, the prevalence of YCs was estimated in a school‐based survey among 5000 adolescents. Results The Young Carers Scale Japanese version (YCS‐J) was acceptably reliable and valid. The original six‐factor model for caring activity in the Multidimensional Assessment of Caring Activities Checklist for Young Carers (MACA‐YC18) was supported by confirmatory factor analysis. The prevalence of YCs among 5000 adolescents in the Tokyo metropolitan area was estimated to be 7.4%, comparable to that reported in Western countries and in recent surveys in Japan using nonstandardized methods. YCs exhibited significantly higher scores for prosocial behavior and emotional symptoms than non‐YCs. Conclusions The YCS‐J, as an internationally comparable instrument, will be useful for understanding the actual situation of YCs in Japan, and to disseminate and implement support through cooperation among education, welfare, and healthcare sectors.
