摘要：Objectives. We examined the prevalence, characteristics, and responsibilities of young adults aged 18 to 25 years who are caregivers for ill, elderly, or disabled family members or friends. Methods. We analyzed 2 previously published national studies (from 1998 and 2004) of adult caregivers. Results. Young adult caregivers make up between 12% and 18% of the total number of adult caregivers. Over half are male, and the average age is 21. Most young adults are caring for a female relative, most often a grandmother. Young adult caregivers identified a variety of unmet needs, including obtaining medical help, information, and help making end-of-life decisions. Conclusions. Analysis of these 2 surveys broadens our understanding of the spectrum of family caregivers by focusing on caregivers between the ages of 18 and 25 years. The high proportion of young men raises questions about the appropriateness of current support services, which are typically used by older women. Concerted efforts are essential to ensure that young adults who become caregivers are not deterred from pursuing educational and career goals. Beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, family caregiving, an age-old practice, became a major research, programmatic, and policy topic in the United States. Studies have focused primarily on adult children caring for elderly parents and older spousal caregivers, who make up the majority of the millions of adults who provide care. They are also the most likely to come to the attention of health care and social service providers. Even as subpopulations are studied (e.g., by ethnicity, disease category, or relationship to the care recipient), one group, young adult caregivers aged 18 to 25 years, has been almost totally ignored. Even in the United Kingdom, where child caregivers, called “carers,” up to age 18 are counted in the census and are served through a variety of programs, young adults are only now beginning to be recognized. Becker 1 estimates that there are almost 200 000 young adult caregivers aged 18 to 24 years in England and Wales. This neglected group is important, because young adults are at a critical developmental stage. They have passed the turbulence of early and mid-adolescence, but most have not yet solidified life plans and choices; for many, education extends into their 20s, and marriage and childbearing typically occur at older ages. Arnett 2 calls ages 18 to 25 the years of “emerging adulthood . . . a distinct period” of frequent changes, distinguished by “relative independence from social roles and normative expectations . . . the most volitional years of life” (emphasis in original). Beyond memoirs and other retrospective accounts, we do not know how family caregiving—with its complex web of responsibilities, close relationships, burdens, and rewards—affects young adults or how these impacts, both positive and negative, differ by gender, ethnicity, relationship, and other factors. This article is a first step in describing the population, laying the groundwork for future studies.
