Promotion

74 MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION
applicable to later stages of the lifespan, children can also be discriminated against
simply because of their age. The survey by Melzer et al. (2000) reported higher levels of
problems for children experiencing discrimination.
Social responsibilities
Many children take on care responsibilities for sick parents, grandparents or for siblings.
Developing a sense of the numbers involved in caring is difficult since there are
problems of definition and in identifying those involved – especially in those countries
where many children drop out of school early. In the UK the strategy document
Caring for Carers (DoH 1999) estimated that there are between 20,000 and 50,000
young carers many of whom received no support at all from statutory or voluntary
services. Ten thousand children were estimated to have parents who suffered from
mental illness.
Worldwide, large numbers of children are providing care in families experiencing
AIDS related illness or where one or both parents have died from the illness. In addition
to the strains on mental health imposed by the illness or the loss of parents a high
proportion of such households are experiencing serious levels of poverty which also
has consequences for mental health. Carers in such situations are more likely to be girls
and unable to stay in school, and it may also be difficult for any younger siblings to
continue in school because of the financial situation. Even in countries with well
developed social and education provision, young people who are providing major
support can be unrecognized. They may be reluctant to talk about family situations
even though changes in school attendance and performance may give some hints of
difficulties. While children may gain positively in a number of ways from caring, many
negative effects have been identified from research:
• problems at school;
• isolation from children of the same age and other family members;
• lack of time for play, sport or other leisure activities;
• conflict between the needs of persons being helped and their own needs, leading to
feelings of guilt and resentment;
• feeling that there is no one there for them, that professionals do not listen to them;
• lack of recognition, praise or respect for their contributions;
• feeling that they are different from other children and unable to be part of groups;
• feeling that no one else understands their experience.
(DoH 1999: 76, 78)
The additional problems experienced by young carers from ethnic minorities
included:
• families are less likely to contact social services for fear that children will be taken
away;
• they are more likely to be excluded from school;
• they are often expected to take responsibility for interpreting for the person
being cared for regardless of whether they understand the issue or whether it is
appropriate for their age.