More than 5.2 million American grandmothers serve as caregivers for their grandchildren, whether as a primary caregiver to grandchildren or living in a multigenerational home, and have a key role in family functioning. Prior work by our research team indicates that primary caregiver grandmothers report more depression, worse physical health and more problems in family functioning than non-co-resident grandmothers, and both primary and multigenerational grandmothers report intra-family strain. Our ongoing study also revealed three interesting findings: first, very few studies have examined the perceptions of children being raised by grandparents;second, there are a surprising number of transitions in grandmother caregiving status;and third, the perceptions of children and their connection to family dynamics has largely been overlooked. We are proposing to combine these three important findings in our next study, investigating the effect of these transitions on both grandmothers and their grandchildren.
The specific aims of this continuation study are to: 1) extend the evaluation of the grandmother caregiving experience across time, including caregiving transitions;2) evaluate grandchildren's perceptions of family functioning, support and depressive symptoms and compare these data with data from the grandmother, and 3) examine the effects of caregiving transitions on grandchildren, and 4) identify perceived needs for interventions. Using a longitudinal, comparative design and the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, the study will examine stress, health status, and resources of social support and resourcefulness in a sample of approximately 400 women in three groups differentiated by grandmothering status. Data will be collected by mailed questionnaire two times (at one-year intervals) from grandmothers, and by telephone from grandchildren (ages 9-16) in all caregiving groups. Results from our pilot study show that children have a wealth of information to contribute to our understanding of family dynamics. Narrative interviews with grandchildren who experience a caregiver transition will be conducted to illuminate how these transitions affect the grandchild and the family. This study will contribute to our understanding of the mental health and family functioning of grandmothers living with grandchildren across time and provide information needed to identify the timing, target and context for interventions to support the health of grandmothers and grandchildren at-risk.
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| Musil, Carol M; Givens, Sarah E; Jeanblanc, Alexandra B et al. (2017) Grandmothers and Self-Management of Depressive Symptoms. Arch Psychiatr Nurs 31:234-240 |
| Musil, Carol M; Jeanblanc, Alexandra B; Burant, Christopher J et al. (2013) Longitudinal analysis of resourcefulness, family strain, and depressive symptoms in grandmother caregivers. Nurs Outlook 61:225-234.e2 |
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| Bigbee, Jeri L; Musil, Carol; Kenski, Diane (2011) The health of caregiving grandmothers: a rural-urban comparison. J Rural Health 27:289-96 |
| Musil, Carol; Warner, Camille; Zauszniewski, Jaclene et al. (2009) Grandmother caregiving, family stress and strain, and depressive symptoms. West J Nurs Res 31:389-408 |
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| Musil, Carol M; Mutabaazi, Jemimah; Walusimbi, Mariam et al. (2004) Considerations for preparing collaborative international research: a Ugandan experience. Appl Nurs Res 17:195-200 |
