• Minakshi Raj, Sara J Feldman, and Tammy Chang.
• From Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL (MR), Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI (SJF), Department of Family Medicine and Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI (TC). mraj@illinois.edu.
• J Am Board Fam Med. 2022 Jul 1; 35 (4): 814-820.

BackgroundYouth are increasingly upholding significant caregiving responsibilities. These caregiving responsibilities can have emotional, educational, and professional impacts on youth and young adults. And yet, policies and resources focus on adult caregivers and are limited in supporting young caregivers. The purpose of this study was to describe the different types of support that youth identify as being important to prepare to take care of an adult relative.MethodsWe conducted an open-ended, text-message based poll of youth ages 14 to 24 in August 2020. We conducted a content analysis to categorize and describe the different types of support respondents identified in their responses. We compared types of support identified by age-group, gender identity, and prior caregiving experience.ResultsMost respondents (42.2%) identified education (eg, skills training) as being an important resource. Other types of support reported included financial support (eg, assistive programs), workplace policies (eg, paid leave), mental health support, and professional support.DiscussionPolicy makers should extend existing policies (eg, Family and Medical Leave Act) to include and consider the circumstances of youth and young adults. Policies enabling young caregivers to actively participate in their adult relative's health care visits could be critical to preparing youth for the skills required and the physical and emotional demands associated with caregiving. Coordinated efforts between health and education systems could support youth in learning information about caregiving, medical decision making, and medical tasks.© Copyright 2022 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

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