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Grandparents
Parenting their Grandchildren
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Here is the third
topic in our discussion on the interrelationship between generations.
In preparing this Resource Note, I read in several sources
that the U.S. Census Bureau estimates there are more than
four million U.S. children living in homes in which a grandparent
is the primary caregiver. On the web site of the
US Bureau of the Census, Population Division, you can read
or download this 1998 paper.
Lynne M. Casper
and Kenneth R. Bryson. Co-resident Grandparents and
Their Grandchildren: Grandparent Maintained Families
Abstract:
Throughout the 1990s there has been increasing policy interest
in the role grandparents play in raising and providing care
for their grandchildren. In this paper, we use the newly released
1997 March Current Population Survey data in conjunction with
data from past years to estimate how many grandparents maintain
households for their grandchildren and how these numbers have
changed since 1990. We focus on describing five types of grandparent-maintained
families -- both grandparents, some parents present; both
grandparents, no parents present; grandmother only, some parents
present; grandmother only, no parents present; and grandfather
only present -- and examine who these grandparents are, where
they live, and how they fare economically. We also look at
the characteristics of the grandchildren in these homes and
use multivariate techniques to ascertain whether family structure
affects grandchildren's economic well-being, health insurance
coverage, and receipt of public assistance. We find that family
structure does affect a grandchild's well-being. Grandchildren
in grandmother only, no parents present families are the most
likely to be poor and to have received public assistance,
while those in both grandparents, no parents present families
are the most likely to be uninsured.
http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/
twps0026/twps0026.html
Like intergenerational
caregivers, grandparents' participating in parenting grandchildren
is not a phenomenon of the twentieth or the twenty-first centuries.
Remember Heidi? What are unique, perhaps, is
the growing number of households in which no parent resides
and the reasons why grandparents are taking up the primary
parenting role. This paper, "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren:
Rights and Responsibilities," by Pamela B. Teaster, Assistant
Professor, Department of Human Development, and Extension
Specialist, Gerontology, Virginia Tech and Tammy L. Henderson,
Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development, Faculty
Affiliate, Center for Gerontology, Virginia Tech., lists the
following reasons:
Reasons Grandparents
Raise Grandchildren
- To provide a
home-like experience.
- To influence
grandchildren's personal and cultural identity.
- To prevent placement
in a foster home.
- To buffer effects
of divorce or single-parenthood.
- To care for
children with parents who are incarcerated or have contracted
HIV or other illnesses.
- To reduce contact
with substance-abusing parents.
- To reduce financial
and emotional overloads of their own children or to help
in transitional situations such as a parent sent overseas
to work.
- To serve as
a buffer for children at risk of family crises, including
physical, psychological, and sexual abuse or neglect.
The complete report
is at http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/gerontology/350-255/320-255.htm,
on the Virginia Cooperative Extension page.
Select sources
for Grandparents
BOOKS:
Crumbley, J. &
Little, R.L. (Eds.). (1997). Relatives raising
children: An overview of kinship care. Washington, DC:
CWLA Press.
De Toledo, S.,
et al. (1995). Grandparents as parents: A survival
guide for raising a second family. New York, NY: Guilford
Press.
Doucette-Dudman,
D. & Lacure, J. R. (1996). Raising our children's
children. Minneapolis, MN: Fairview Press.
Hayslip, B. &
Goldberg-Glen, R., (Eds.) (2000). Grandparents raising
grandchildren: Theoretical, empirical, and clinical perspectives.
New York, NY: Springer Pub.
Houtman, S. &
Rowland, B. (Eds.). (1999). To Grandma's House, We...Stay:
When You Have to Stop Spoiling Your Grandchildren and Start
Raising Them. Northridge, CA: Studio 4 Productions.
Truly, T.
(2001). Grandparents' rights: with forms. Naperville,
IL: Sphinx Pub.
Web Sites:
AARP
Grandparents Information Center
KidsHealth
is a project of The Nemours Foundation.
For
Kids Living with Grandparents
The
Foundation for Grandparenting
Generation
Connection Society
Generations
United (GU)
The
Grandparenting Organization
Off
Our Rockers: A Newsletter for Grandparents Who Are Raising
their Grandchildren
I learned a new
phrase in pursuing this topic, "Kinship care." It probably
is not new to many individuals who are reading this Resource
Note. I briefly explored kinship care by skimming this
June 2000 report "Report to the Congress on kinship foster
care," from the U.
S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration
for Children andFamilies, Administration on Children, Youth
and Families, and Children's Bureau.
Following are a
few articles gleaned from MEDLINE/PUBMED.
1: Ahmann, E. &
Shepherd-Vernon, B. (1997). Kinship care: an emerging issue.
Pediatric Nursing,
23(6), 598-600.
ABSTRACT: The issue of kinship care is explored through an
interview with a clinical social worker who runs a support
group for grandparents caring for their grandchildren. Starting
in the 1980s, the kinship care phenomena spread across economic
and racial lines. Nationwide, an estimated 3.2 million
children live in grandparent-headed households. Issues
faced by grandparents in this role include: the emotional
impact of raising children, when past that typical stage of
life; how to deal with the feelings of anger and resentment
toward their own children; how to say no and be comfortable
with it; how to reclaim parts of their own lives; taking care
of themselves; special childraising challenges, including
HIV, abuse, and neglect; and financial concerns. A kinship
care support group is described, and lists of resources are
provided.
2: Kelley, S.J.,
Yorker, B.C. & Whitley, D. (1997). To grandmother's
house we go ... and stay. Children raised in intergenerational
families. Journal of Gerontolological Nursing, 23(9),
12-20.
ABSTRACT: An increased incidence in child abuse and neglect
has resulted in a dramatic rise in the number of grandparents
raising grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Grandchildren
raised by grandparents often suffer from emotional and behavioral
problems due to prior abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Grandparent
caregivers experience increased health problems, psychological
distress, and social isolation related to their roles as primary
caregivers of children. Grandparents who become caregivers
of grandchildren face increased financial responsibilities
at a time in their lives, close to or at retirement, when
income is dramatically decreased.
3: Brown, E.J.,
Jemmott, L.S., Outlaw, F.H., Wilson, G., Howard, M. &
Curtis, S. (2000). African American grandmothers' perceptions
of caregiver concerns associated with rearing adolescent grandchildren.
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 14(2), 73-80.
ABSTRACT: In 1996, grandparents were the sole providers of
care for 269,000 grandchildren. Research findings indicate
that grandmothers are usually the primary caretakers of grandchildren.
Previous issues associated with raising grandchildren vary,
but usually relate to the grandparents' health, financial
concerns, or lack of social support. This qualitative descriptive
study was designed to describe African American grandmothers'
perceptions about the burdens of raising adolescent grandchildren.
Using this approach, the researchers were able to study the
richness and diversity of the grandmothers' perceptions. Data
were collected from 35 grandmothers through a focus group
(n = 7) and during a 4-day intervention research study (n
= 28) entitled "Grandmother-Grandchild Health Promotion
Program." Numerous concerns were voiced by both groups,
but those stated most frequently were associated with the
well being of grandchildren (grandchildren's sexual behavior,
potential drug use, and potential risk of encountering violence)
and relational conflicts with adult children. Unexpected findings
were the absence of stated concerns associated with the grandmothers'
financial situation or health. Recommendations for intervention,
clinical practice, and research are discussed.
4: Davidhizar,
R., Bechtel, G.A. & Woodring, B.C. (2000). The changing
role of grandparenthood. Journal of Gerontological
Nursing, 26(1), 24-9.
ABSTRACT: For many grandparents in America, caring for grandchildren
has become a full-time responsibility that has led to multiple
stresses. Raising grandchildren may cause financial stress,
cramped living quarters, role restriction, and social isolation
among this group. However, advantages to this role among grandparents
can include greater life satisfaction and a positive influence
on the other generations within the family. Nurses and other
health providers can play an essential role in assisting grandparents
caring for grandchildren by strategically building family
strengths and cohesiveness.
5: Thomas, J.L.,
Sperry, L. & Yarbrough, M.S. (2000). Grandparents
as parents: research findings and policy recommendations.
Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 31(1),
3-22.
ABSTRACT: This article presents an overview of research on
grandparenthood in the latter decades of the twentieth century.
Theories contributing to understanding of the grandparenting
role are discussed, and significant factors affecting the
grandparenting experience--including sex, age, retirement
status, race, and ethnicity--are reviewed. The special case
of grandparents raising grandchildren is explored through
a review of demographics, outcomes for children in grandparent
foster care, and the impact of raising grandchildren on grandparents.
Interventions supporting custodial grandparents and the grandchildren
in their care are examined. Drawing on the findings and implications
of this overview, recommendations for policy, clinical practice,
professional education, and future research are offered.
6: Minkler, M.,
Fuller-Thomson, E., Miller, D. & Driver, D. (1997).
Depression in grandparents raising grandchildren: results
of a national longitudinal study.
Archives of
Family Medicine, 6(5), 445-52.
ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of undertaking
custodial care of a grandchild on grandparents' depression
levels and to determine what characteristics are associated
with higher depression levels among caregiving grandparents.
DESIGN: A longitudinal national probability panel study:
the National Survey of Families and Households. The first
wave of data (n= 13 008) was collected in 1987 and 1988, and
the second wave of data (n=10008) was collected from 1992
through 1994. SETTING: The survey was conducted in respondents'
households in the coterminous United States. PARTICIPANTS:
The subsample for this study was composed of 3111 respondents
who reported being grandparents during the 1992-1994 interviews
and for whom complete depression information was available.
Of these grandparents, 158 were the primary caregivers for
their grandchildren in the 1990s. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Depression
was measured using a modified version of the Center for Epidemiological
Studies Depression Scale. RESULTS: Those who provide primary
care for a grandchild are almost twice as likely to have levels
of depressive symptoms above the traditional Center for Epidemiological
Studies Depression Scale cut point of 16 (25.1% Vs 14.5%).
Even when controlling for baseline depression and demographic
variables known to affect depressive symptoms, undertaking
the care of a grandchild was associated significantly with
higher depression levels in a multivariate prospective analysis
(P<. 01). Among caregiving grandparents, those who recently
assumed caregiving responsibilities (P<. 05) and women
(P<. 10) were more depressed and older respondents (P<.
10) and those in good health (P<. 001) were less depressed.
CONCLUSIONS: Undertaking the primary care of a grandchild
is associated with an increase in levels of depression. Particularly
in light of the recent dramatic increase in the prevalence
of grandparent caregiving in the United States, physicians
need to explore familial role changes with midlife and older
patients who have symptoms of depression. Special attention
should be paid to the most at-risk subsets of grandparent
caregivers: those who are new caregivers, those in poor health,
those who are younger, and women.
7: Fuller-Thomson
E., Minkler M. & Driver D. (1997). A profile of
grandparents raising grandchildren in the United States.
Gerontologist, 37(3), 406-11.
ABSTRACT: This article examines the prevalence of grandparent
caregiving in the U.S. and presents a national profile of
grandparent caregivers based on current data from the national
Survey of Families and Households. More than one in ten grandparents
are found to have cared for a grandchild for at least 6 months,
with most of these having engaged in a far longer-term commitment.
Although custodial grandparenting cuts across gender, class,
and ethnic lines, single women, African Americans, and low
income persons are disproportionately represented. Multivariate
logistic analysis indicates that three groups--women, recently
bereaved parents, and African Americans--have approximately
twice the odds of becoming caregiving grandparents. Implications
for further research, policy, and practice are discussed.
8: Lewis I.D. &
Williams C. (1994). Grandparents parenting the second
time around. The ABNF Journal: official journal of the Association
of Black Nursing Faculty in Higher Education, Inc., 5(4),
110-1.
ABSTRACT: This study focused upon African American grandparents
who assumed full-time parenting responsibilities of their
grandchildren--parenting the second time around. The sample,
derived the support group Grandparents Who Care (GWC), were
raising children whose parents were drug addicted, incarcerated
or deceased or otherwise unable to parent their children.
The purpose of the study was to determine the issues that
shape the experiences of this group of caregivers. Findings
suggest a more in-depth exploration of social policy including
that which gives more financial support to foster parents
than to grandparents and which labels drug-exposed children
as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) sufferers.
Compiled by Mary
Binderman, MSLS, American Occupational Therapy
Foundation, Bethesda, MD.
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