The duration and intensity of adolescents' childcare and eldercare responsibilities: Links to short- and long-term educational outcomes.

This longitudinal study documents individual differences in the intensity and duration of adolescents' childcare and eldercare responsibilities from ages 14 to 18. Further, it investigates how adolescents' caregiving responsibilities are associated with socioeconomic background, and educational achievement in high school and at midlife. Participants (N = 1,130, 52% female, 12% Asian, 9% Black, 4% Hispanic) were followed longitudinally from ages 14 to 46. They reported the number of hours they provided care for children and elderly persons at four yearly time points during adolescence, their high school grade point averages, whether they graduated from high school on time, and their educational attainment at age 46. Parents reported their household income and level of education. Adolescents who provided extensive childcare (high intensity, long duration) and sporadic eldercare (high intensity, short duration) across 4 years came disproportionately from families with socioeconomic disadvantages. They also exhibited lower educational attainment in adulthood, even after controlling for socioeconomic status and other demographic factors. Further, extensive childcare responsibilities were associated with declines in grades across high school. Whereas eldercare was not associated with academic grades between subjects, within-subjects analyses revealed that adolescents had lower grades during years when they provided more eldercare. In the context of prior evidence that youth with high levels of family obligations are highly motivated to excel in school, our findings suggest that institutional barriers may be hindering their short- and long-term educational goals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).