Intergenerational Caregiver Strategies in Caring for Parents and Maintaining Personal Well-Being

Abstract : This study explores how young intergenerational caregivers navigate caregiving responsibilities toward aging parents while maintaining their personal well-being. Employing a qualitative descriptive design, the research examines the lived experiences of three university students in Jakarta who simultaneously manage academic commitments, paid employment, and family caregiving. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation, and analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s interactive model supported by NVivo 12 Plus. The findings reveal that caregiving among young adults operates as a multidimensional process involving financial management, emotional regulation, and role negotiation. Participants adopted structured income allocation strategies, pursued flexible supplementary work, and practiced careful time management to balance parental care with personal and educational needs. Despite these adaptive efforts, caregivers experienced significant psychosocial pressures, including stress, fatigue, and heightened moral responsibility, shaped by cultural expectations of filial duty and uneven family role distribution. Caregiving responsibilities frequently concentrated on individuals who were structurally available, accelerating their transition into adult roles and constraining personal aspirations.The study highlights forms of everyday resilience developed through pragmatic coping practices and family solidarity. However, reliance on individual adaptability also exposes gaps in formal support systems. These findings underscore the need to reconceptualize intergenerational caregiving as a shared social responsibility rather than an individual burden. Policy interventions integrating financial assistance, educational flexibility, mental health services, and community-based caregiver support are essential to sustain the well-being of young caregivers. The study contributes to caregiving and social development literature by providing empirical insight into how young adults construct meaning, strategy, and identity within intergenerational care arrangements in urban Indonesia.