This career development award will focus on issues of grandparent care-giving for grandchildren. Existing research reports both positive and negative effects on the well-being of grandparents. But the evidence is inconclusive, owing mainly to limitations in data and research design. The proposed research focuses on China, a setting where it is normative for grandparents to provide routine care for grandchildren. I will use a longitudinal dataset, the China Health and Nutrition Survey, a panel survey with data from eight provinces in China. The survey includes detailed data on childcare and a wide range of health measures. The proposed work should enhance our understanding of the process through which grandparent care-giving influences the health of grandparents.
My specific aims are as follows: ? ? Aim 1: Describe the scope of grandparent care-giving in China; including the proportion of children cared for by grandparents and the level of care-giving responsibilities of grandparents. ? ? Aim 2: Examine factors associated with grandparent care-giving in China, including the intensity of the mother's work load, grandparents' characteristics, and various structural and contextual factors. ? ? Aim 3: Evaluate the relationship between grandparent care-giving and health in China, including both immediate and long-term consequences of grandparent care-giving on various measures of health outcomes. ? ? Aim 4: Design measures and collect original data on mental health of elderly in China, with the purpose of further documenting the relationship between grandparents care-giving and their well-being. ? ? During the award, I propose to develop knowledge and analytical skills in the field of demographic, health and aging. By working closely with leaders in the field, I hope to gain expertise in complex data analysis, to develop the skills required to successfully compete for future research funding, and to become an independent research scientist. ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01HD047369-02
Application #
7216221
Study Section
Pediatrics Subcommittee (CHHD)
Program Officer
King, Rosalind B
Project Start
2006-05-01
Project End
2011-04-30
Budget Start
2007-05-01
Budget End
2008-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$109,862
Indirect Cost
Name
North Carolina State University Raleigh
Department
Social Sciences
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
042092122
City
Raleigh
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27695
Chen, Feinian; Liu, Guangya (2012) The health implications of grandparents caring for grandchildren in China. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 67:99-112
Chen, Feinian; Liu, Guangya; Mair, Christine A (2011) Intergenerational Ties in Context: Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren in China. Soc Forces 90:571-594
Chen, Feinian; Yang, Yang; Liu, Guangya (2010) Social Change and Socioeconomic Disparities in Health over the Life Course in China: A Cohort Analysis. Am Sociol Rev 75:126-150
Chen, Feinian; Korinek, Kim (2010) Family life course transitions and rural household economy during China's market reform. Demography 47:963-87
Chen, Feinian (2009) Family division in China's transitional economy. Popul Stud (Camb) 63:53-69
Chen, Feinian; Short, Susan E (2008) Household Context and Subjective Well-Being Among the Oldest Old in China. J Fam Issues 29:1379-1403
Chen, Feinian; Curran, Patrick J; Bollen, Kenneth A et al. (2008) An Empirical Evaluation of the Use of Fixed Cutoff Points in RMSEA Test Statistic in Structural Equation Models. Sociol Methods Res 36:462-494