Young Carers’ Experiences of Leaving Home

Abstract

This study aims to elucidate the effect of the experience of leaving home on young carers. Although studies have been conducted in the field of family so- ciology on young people leaving home, they lack a full consideration of the ex- istence of young and young adult carers. To address this concern, interviews were conducted with four former young carers who had left the homes of their parents and analyzed their experiences. The results revealed that the young carers continued to take care of their fam- ilies after leaving home, or, alternatively, they did not continue to take care of their families but felt guilty and anxious about the situation. Based on these re- sults, this study argues that the experience of leaving home does not lead to the omission of the burden of care for young carers but the separation of care by securing physical distance and the realization of distance from the needs of the family members who need care. For young carers, leaving home was an import- ant act for organizing their experiences and considering themselves and their families in a relative manner. Based on this discussion, the study proposes that when considering effective support for young carers, reducing the burden of care for young carers living with their families and creating a system that en- courages them to leave their homes are important considerations.