Keywords
grandparent health; grandchildren; grandparent caregiver; social support; stressor
Abstract
The major purpose of this study was to identify predictors of grandparent caregiver health status. Additional purposes were to describe the physical and emotional health of grandparent caregivers and the perceived benefits of support group attendance. A convenience sample of 42 grandparents was recruited from support groups. Data were collected through telephone interviews. Grandparents who had higher parenting stress reported lower levels of physical, social, and mental health. Inverse correlations were present between life stress and mental health. Positive correlations were found between social support and physical health. No pattern emerged in a comparison of the health of care-giving grandparents and a normative sample. Emotional support was the primary benefit derived from support group attendance. There were modest inverse associations between the length of time the child had lived with the grandparent and six of the eight indicators of grandparent health.
ScholarWorks Citation
Leder, Sharon; Nicholson Grinstead, Linda; and Torres, Elisa, "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Stressors, Social Support, and Health Outcomes" (2007). Peer Reviewed Articles. 9.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/kcon_articles/9
Original Citation
Leder, Sharon, Linda Nicholson Grinstead, and Elisa Torres. "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Stressors, Social Support, and Health Outcomes." Journal of Family Nursing 13, no. 3 (2007): 333-352. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1074840707303841
