Caregiving for Older Adults During Emerging Adulthood: The Relationship Between Caregiver Identity and Caregiver Distress

Caregiver identity discrepancy theory may not be applicable to emerging adults given the greater identity flexibility that is more developmentally appropriate in emerging adulthood than in midlife or older adulthood. However, high salience of a caregiver identity among emerging adult caregivers was protective against caregiver distress, suggesting the importance of meaning-making within caregiving contexts for this age group. Ageist attitudes should be considered in future research on caregiving identity development. Emerging adult caregivers would benefit from targeted research and from interventions tailored to their unique needs. Interventions and policies that promote emerging adult caregivers' caregiver identity salience would support and validate their important role in care for older adults.