Many children and adolescents support relatives with cancer. However, literature about young carers (YCs) shows a lack of awareness among professionals, especially in oncology. This quantitative study aims to explore the level of knowledge and perceptions of healthcare professionals working with cancer patients about the situations and characteristics of YCs. 395 professionals participated in an online survey. Professionals reported sociodemographic and professional information and answered several questions evaluating their perceptions about YCs, such as the types of support provided and the consequences of being a YC. Descriptive analysis and group comparisons (Chi-square, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis tests) by sex, occupation, and patients treated (adult and/or pediatric) are performed on the data collected. Overall, per the literature on YCs, professionals provide an adequate description of what a YC can be, even though one in two professionals have never heard the term. Several differences are observed: Men mention fewer types of support that YCs can provide, while women report more negative consequences of being a YC; psychologists and social workers report fewer positive impacts for these young people than the other professionals; professionals who work with pediatric patients mention fewer negative consequences than those who work with adults. Oncology healthcare professionals have sufficient awareness of YCs; however, several professionals struggle to fully understand the situation of YCs. These findings underline the need for awareness programs in oncology to improve health professionals’ understanding of YCs and enhance their identification and support.

中文翻译：

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年轻的护理人员为患有癌症的亲戚提供帮助：法国的医疗保健专业人员的知识是什么？一项探索性研究

许多儿童和青少年支持患有癌症的亲戚。然而，有关年轻护理人员 (YC) 的文献显示，专业人士缺乏认识，尤其是在肿瘤学领域。这项定量研究旨在探讨与癌症患者一起工作的医疗保健专业人员对 YC 情况和特征的了解和看法水平。 395 名专业人士参与了在线调查。专业人士报告了社会人口统计和专业信息，并回答了几个评估他们对 YC 看法的问题，例如提供的支持类型以及成为 YC 的后果。对收集的数据进行描述性分析和按性别、职业和治疗患者（成人和/或儿童）进行的组比较（卡方检验、Mann-Whitney U 检验和 Kruskal-Wallis 检验）。总体而言，根据有关 YC 的文献，专业人士对 YC 的含义进行了充分的描述，尽管二分之一的专业人士从未听说过这个术语。观察到几个差异：男性提到的 YC 可以提供的支持类型较少，而女性则报告了成为 YC 的更多负面后果；心理学家和社会工作者报告说，与其他专业人士相比，这些年轻人的积极影响较少；与儿童患者一起工作的专业人士提到的负面后果比与成人患者一起工作的专业人员要少。肿瘤医疗保健专业人员对 YC 有足够的认识；然而，一些专业人士很难完全了解 YC 的情况。这些发现强调需要在肿瘤学领域开展宣传项目，以提高卫生专业人员对 YC 的了解并加强对 YC 的识别和支持。