Association between caregiving time of young carers and depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood: mediating roles of neuroticism and resilience

Young carers (YCs), defined as children or adolescents with substantial caregiving responsibilities for family members, face increased mental health risks, particularly depression. However, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear due to limited quantitative research. Emerging adulthood is a psychologically vulnerable period involving key life decisions, when the mental health effects of early caregiving may become more apparent. Understanding how depression develops in YCs during this stage may inform effective interventions to support their long-term well-being. Prior studies insufficiently examined depressive symptoms and caregiving burden using standardized measures, with limited focus on YCs’ mental health trajectories. This study addresses these gaps by using caregiving time as an objective burden indicator and testing a path model with neuroticism and resilience as mediators. A cross-sectional internet-based survey of 323 YCs and 551 non-YCs aged 18–25 collected demographic data, daily caregiving hours, neuroticism, resilience, depressive symptoms, and childhood peer victimization using standardized questionnaires. A path model analyzed the indirect impact of caregiving hours on depressive symptoms via neuroticism and resilience. YCs reported higher levels of depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and peer victimization. Path analysis revealed that longer caregiving time was indirectly associated with depressive symptoms through reduced resilience and increased neuroticism, in addition to a modest direct effect. This model explained 42.9% of the variance in YCs’ depressive symptoms. Caregiving time may act as an indicator of caregiving burden, but may not capture its full complexity. Reducing caregiving time and enhancing resilience may help support YCs’ mental health.