No abstract

According to the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP), there are five million student caregivers in the United States. Seven out of ten student caregivers say their caregiving roles affect their academic achievements. An informal (unpaid) student caregiver may provide care for a spouse, family member (excluding child care), friend, or neighbor. Student caregivers often encounter obstacles in balancing their caregiving responsibilities while trying to achieve academic success. The goal of this mixed method study is to understand the experiences of informal (unpaid) student caregivers. The aim of this study was to expand on a pilot study to increase our understanding of what challenges students face while being a caregiver and what resources are most helpful to reach their academic goals. The study was a mixed methods study consisting of a survey, which was sent to both undergraduate and graduate students, followed by one-on-one interviews with students who wanted to provide additional information about their experiences. Data was collected from two universities in the Baltimore metropolitan area, one of which is a designated historically black university and the other a minority serving university. We present findings from this research with a focus on identifying challenges and opportunities for universities to serve informal student caregivers from diverse backgrounds. More broadly, this research will contribute to the universities’ understanding of student caregivers and help identify new resources to assist students in achieving their academic goals while being a caregiver.

The number of students enrolled in higher education who are taking care of older adults, many of whom may be suffering from an illness, is expanding. The numerous factors in care partnering can compromise student success and persistence towards graduation. While most care partners experience challenges, the care partnering experience of Black students is magnified because Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have a higher enrollment of nontraditional and first-generation college students. Students may be primary care partners who provide most of the care, or they may provide supportive care as secondary, tertiary, and auxiliary care partners within an extended family or kinship network. Aging in place, within the context of family and community, emerges from African culture and tradition deeply grounded in filial loyalty. Care partnering is nuanced in the interaction of race, ethnicity, gender, family relationships, and student status; however, little is known about the lived experience of Black student care partners and how to support them to facilitate their persistence towards graduation. This poster describes initial efforts to understand Black student experiences in care partnering in the context of a Mid-Atlantic HBCU and suggests the next steps in a multi-year research program.