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. 2023 Jul 20;20(14):6410.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20146410.

The Impact of Public Health Restrictions on Young Caregivers and How They Navigated a Pandemic: Baseline Interviews from a Longitudinal Study Conducted in Ontario, Canada

Kristine Newman  1 , Heather Chalmers  2 , Arthur Ze Yu Wang  1 , Sarah Ciotti  1 , Luxmhina Luxmykanthan  1 , Nicole Mansell  1
Affiliations

The Impact of Public Health Restrictions on Young Caregivers and How They Navigated a Pandemic: Baseline Interviews from a Longitudinal Study Conducted in Ontario, Canada

Kristine Newman et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This qualitative research study is a part of a larger research project exploring the experiences of young caregivers aged 5-26 years and their families navigating the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 to 2023. Data were collected from 14 young caregivers who participated in baseline interviews. The central research question guiding this study: What was, is, and will be the impact of changing public health restrictions on young caregivers and their families during the pandemic and pandemic recovery? Seven themes emerged through analysis: (1) Navigating Care During the Height of Public Health Restrictions, (2) Neighbourhood and Built Environment During the Pandemic, (3) Perceptions Towards COVID-19 and Public Health Restrictions/Efforts, (4) The Impact of Public Health Restrictions on Relationships, (5) Mental Health Challenges of Being a Young Caregiver During a Pandemic, (6) Navigating Formal Services and Supports, and (7) Recommendations from Young Caregivers. The findings from this empirical research suggest that young caregivers found it easier to navigate their caregiving responsibilities when public health restrictions and work-from-home mandates were initially implemented; however, this later changed due to challenges in finding respite from caregiving, maintaining social connections with friends, creating personal space at home, and finding adequate replacements for programs once offered in person.

Keywords: COVID-19; baseline interviews; longitudinal; pandemic; qualitative; social determinants of health; young caregiver.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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