The Impact of Caregiving: Is it who I am or what I do?

A major developmental task in adolescence is identity exploration. Some young carers, due to the level of care being provided, may not have an opportunity to explore who they are outside of being a caregiver. This qualitative study explored the lives of 14 young carers (4 males, 10 females) to reveal impacts within their lives and on their identity development. Results revealed that psychological, family, and social impacts interacted and influenced the degree to which the young carer adopted a caregiver identity.