The general aim of this proposed 36-month research project is to examine how granddaughters (GD) participate in the caregiving enterprise, and the effects of that participation on their own lives, their grandmother's lives and the lives of their families. Specifically, predictors of grand- daughter caregiving involvement will be examined in a 2 x 2 group design, comparing African-American and White granddaughters who share households or live apart from grandmothers. Using structural equation modeling, the relationships between components of intergenerational family solidarity and granddaughter caregiving involvement will be explored. Three hundred granddaughters, involved in grandfilial caregiving to variable degrees, will be enrolled in the study. The sample will be restricted to active or potential granddaughter caregivers. Hypotheses tested in the research include main effects for race and living arrangement as well as interaction effects, specifically those involving race. Because it has been reported that African-American and whites differ in the degree to which grandmothers are resources for granddaughters, it is likely that care-giving help, caregiving appraisal and expectations about future caregiving will differ between races and have variable relationships to model predictors. Results will be especially valuable given current demographic trends limiting the availability of middle generation caregiving daughters.
