Depressive symptoms among young adult caregivers of parents with dementia in South Korea: the 2019 community health survey

Young adult caregivers (YACs) who care for parents with dementia face unique developmental and psychological challenges; however, empirical evidence on this population remains limited. This study examined depressive symptoms among YACs, compared them with those of general young adults (GYAs), and explored whether these differences varied by age group and caregiving subtype. Data were obtained from the 2019 Korean Community Health Survey (CHS), a nationally representative sample of adults aged 19–34 years (n = 33,042; weighted \:≈\: 9.98 million). YACs were defined as young adults whose parents had physician-diagnosed dementia and who were primarily responsible for direct caregiving or financial support. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Inverse probability weighting (IPW) based on propensity scores was applied to adjust for sociodemographic differences between YACs and GYAs. Differences in depressive symptoms were examined between YACs and GYAs. These differences were further explored through age-stratified analyses and subtype analyses within YACs according to caregiving type. YACs comprised 1.1% of all participants and exhibited higher depressive symptoms than GYAs (IPW-adjusted difference = 0.70; 95% CI, 0.20–1.20; p = 0.006). This pattern remained significant in both age groups (19–24 years: β = 0.59, 95% CI, 0.09–1.09, p = 0.021; 25–34 years: β = 0.82, 95% CI, 0.01–1.64, p = 0.049). When stratified by caregiving subtype, only YACs providing financial support for a parent with dementia in a facility showed significantly higher depressive symptoms than GYAs (β = 0.69, 95% CI, 0.24–1.14, p = 0.003). YACs exhibited higher depressive symptoms than GYAs, and financial caregiving appears to be a salient vulnerability among young adults caring for parents with dementia. These findings suggest that economic caregiving burdens may heighten psychological strain during the transition to independent adulthood. Targeted screening and integrated supports linking mental health services with financial and social welfare resources may help identify and assist high-risk YACs.