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 #
5K01HD047369-04
Application #
7618206
Study Section
Pediatrics Subcommittee (CHHD)
Program Officer
King, Rosalind B
Project Start
2006-05-01
Project End
2011-04-30
Budget Start
2009-05-01
Budget End
2010-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$116,553
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