Caregiving Students: A Hidden Group

An Interdisciplinary Perspective to Care in Academia

Presented by Prof. Dr. Moritz Heß, Hochschule Niederrhein

Student caregivers are a group that has so far received little attention in everyday university life as well as in research. Studying is often (still) not compatible with caregiving responsibilities. This (in)compatibility between studying and caregiving can have negative effects on health, life satisfaction, and academic performance. At the same time, students can also develop many valuable skills within intergenerational caregiving relationships, such as self-organization and social skills. In order for student caregivers to realize this potential, universities—acting as “Caring Universities”—need to help improve the compatibility of caregiving and studying. We will present current research findings on student caregivers from two research projects, focusing on who student caregivers are, what they experience in the struggle to reconcile studying and caregiving, and how universities can support student caregivers.

Participation is free, but registration is required via the link below: