•As separate informants, both custodial grandmothers and their grandchildren between ages 6 to 12 as reported levels of internalizing and externalizing difficulties for these children that appear to ...exceed those within the general population of similarly aged children.•Percentages of agreement among custodial grandmothers and their grandchildren was relatively high (58.9% − 74.3) regarding whether or not they reported the grandchild as being within the at risk for either internalizing or externalizing difficulties.•At the categorical level, the numbers of grandmother-grandchild pairs where both members reported the grandchild being at risk for either an internalizing or externalizing difficulty was considerably small than when only one member of the grandmother-grandchild pair did.•Statistically significant correlates of (disagreement) between custodial grandmothers and their grandchildren’s reports of internalizing and externalizing difficulties include grandchildren’s age, gender, and use of mental health services, as well as grandmothers’ race, mental health service usage, depressive and anxious symptoms, and parenting practices reflecting acceptance vs rejection of the grandchild.
We conducted this first ever study comparing reports of custodial grandchildren’s (CG) psychological difficulties obtained jointly from 163 custodial grandmothers (CGM) and their CG between ages 6–12. Internalizing and externalizing difficulties were indicated by whether any of the corresponding scales on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ, reported by CGM) or Dominic Interactive (DI, reported by CG) reached the 90th percentile. Internalizing and externalizing difficulties were reported by informant types at rates higher than those typically observed in the general population, with externalizing difficulties being more prevalent among male CG. At the dichotomous level of (dis)agreement, nearly-two-thirds of informant pairs showed concordance regarding whether or not they reported the CG at the 90th percentile on either externalizing and internalizing difficulties. When (dis)agreement was further broken into four specific categories (i.e., “neither report”, “both report”, “CGM only”, and “CG only”, CGM’s use of mental health services, race, depressive and anxiety symptoms, harsh/punitive discipline, and warmth impacted such concordance as did CG’s gender, age, and use of mental health services. The overall findings were remarkably similar regardless of which specific SDQ and DI scales were used in the analyses. The present study unearths new ground regarding the extent to which grandchildren’s distress is similarly perceived by CG themselves versus their CGMs. Such findings are important to the extent that accurate estimates exist regarding the emotional difficulties CG face and lay the groundwork for timely and efficacious interventions designed to alleviate their distress.
Objectives: The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention program to improve the health and social psychological outcomes for grandparents raising ...grandchildren using the theory of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (Baltes, P. B., & Baltes, M. M. (1990). Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization with compensation. In P. B. Baltes & M. M. Baltes (Eds.), Successful aging: Perspectives from the behavioral sciences (pp. 1-34). Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511665684.003). Methods: Fifty-two grandparents were randomly assigned either to a 6-session solution-oriented goal-setting program or to a waiting list control condition who subsequently received the intervention. Results: Grandparents in the intervention group, in comparison to the waiting list control group, reduced their level of depression, improved their parental efficacy, overall psychosocial adjustment, and increased their ability to choose effective goals. For the most part, findings were replicated in the waiting list control analyses. Discussion: While these findings are consistent with previous studies using psychosocial interventions with parents and grandparent caregivers, they also provide support for strength-based proactive behavioral approaches to improve the quality of life of grandparent caregivers.
Older adults in affordable housing are at risk for mental health problems, physical vulnerability, and isolation. We examine the role of an activities program in buffering the influence of life ...stressors on the mental health of seniors in congregate housing, using a non-experimental pretest–posttest study design. Results based upon repeated measures analyses (N = 29), found statistically significant (p < .05) program by time effects for depression, coping strategies, positive affect, isolation, and resident satisfaction. Analyses based upon independent samples of pretest and posttest measures (N = 60) were considerably less strong, but consistent in yielding similar patterns to those of the longitudinally gathered data. Our longitudinal findings substantiate the positive impact of the Engage with Age program in supporting older adults living in congregate housing. Researchers need to develop strategies to assess and support the mental health of older persons in low-income urban congregate living in the larger context of COVID-19.
The role of social support in predicting health among grandparents raising grandchildren was explored among 86 grandparent caregivers assessed twice over a 1-year timeframe.
Relationships between ...social support and health were ascertained via cross-lagged analyses. Regression analyses explored the mitigating role of social support in influencing both health and depression among grandparent caregivers.
Cross-lagged findings suggested that social support predicted health over time rather than vice versa. Regression analyses found that this relationship held when adjusting for multiple covariates as well as previous levels of health, depression, and parental stress. Additionally, the interaction of overall health and social support at Time 1 predicted Time 2 depression. For those who lacked social support, overall health was negatively related to self-reported depression symptoms 1 year later; this was not the case among those reporting greater social support. In addition, parental stress moderated the effects of social support on depression, and social support moderated the effects of parental stress on depression.
Greater social support may lay the groundwork for better health, and such support, in concert with better health as well as lessened parental stress may prevent the development of depression among grandparent caregivers.
The present study examines the impact of change processes on outcomes in a solution-based thinking and goal-setting intervention for grandparents raising their grandchildren. We found that across the ...6 program sessions there was stability and/or increases in the salience of hypothesized change processes, i.e., hopefulness about the future, solution-based thinking, positive thoughts about one's grandchild, multiple indicators of decisional personal goal-setting regarding one's own well-being and grandchild relationship quality. Indicators of change processes were for the most part, related to both post-program outcomes as well as to pre-post program outcome difference scores. Regression analyses suggested that change processes in many cases partially mediated pre-post primary program outcome scores. These data suggest that how grandmother caregivers think about themselves and their grandchildren and their approach to setting personal goals are key change processes explaining the impact of a solution-based, goal-setting intervention on them.
The present study tests predictions regarding skilled golf performance and age-based upon Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (SOC) theory. Participants were 1,324 adults (17–85 years old) who ...competed in a three-day major amateur golf tournament. Findings indicated that older golfers were most likely to identify difficulties in their games worthy of remediation, relied on performance-enhancing equipment to the greatest degree, and scored higher on SOC selection. For such players, SOC selection and remaining competitive predicted better tournament performance. Older players were also less likely to rate a variety of game improvement techniques as effective, less likely to engage in preround preparation, and were less likely than younger players to engage in SOC optimization and compensation strategies. This pattern of findings to a large extent also characterized middle-aged players. Despite a mixed picture of support for SOC theory, these findings provide valuable insights into its application to aging and the competitive sport domain.
The purpose of the present study is to analyze the potential impact of a custodial grandchild receiving mental healthcare on grandparent caregivers’ psychosocial functioning. Findings suggested that ...grandparents of grandchildren who had received some form of mental healthcare were more personally distressed, experienced less social support and more parental strain/stress, and were less resilient. Such grandparents were also less attached to their grandchildren and had grandchildren who were experiencing more emotional/behavioral difficulties. They were, however, more open to receiving psychological help. Findings also revealed that such effects were mediated by resilience, social support, and, to an extent, by parental self-efficacy. These data indicate that raising distressed grandchildren takes its toll on grandparents and that they are especially vulnerable, even if such grandchildren are receiving help.
In this manuscript, we update the literature over the last decade in addressing several new content areas that have emerged in the grandfamilies literature, along with issues that are still important ...to understanding grandparents raising their grandchildren today.
The social science and gerontological literature since 2004 was accessed, reviewed, organized topically, and integrated, based upon an exhaustive PsychINFO literature search.
Our review indicates an ongoing and/or growing emphasis on (a) the strengths of grandparent raising grandchildren, (b) diversity among grandfamilies along a number of parameters, (c) the social-interpersonal, cultural, and policy-related contexts of grandfamilies, (d) process-focused research, (e) parenting, parenting skills, and family relationships, (f) grandparent psychological distress, (g) targets for and the efficacy of interventions with grandfamilies, and (h) methodological issues relevant to the study of grandfamilies.
We discuss the implications of our findings in terms of more completely understanding grandfamilies along a number of parameters, as well as presenting specific recommendations for future research and practice.
This study compared American and Chinese caregiving grandparents regarding variables reflecting challenges and resources in dealing with the demands of raising a grandchild. A total of 238 ...grandparent caregivers in the United States and 106 Chinese grandparent caregivers were sampled and completed research questionnaires for this study. Analyses indicated that after controlling for grandparents’ gender, age, health, length of caregiving, and number of grandchildren, main effects for culture were significant for parental efficacy, authoritative parenting style, grandchild negative interpersonal dynamics, role satisfaction, well-being, and attachment to the grandchild. Correlational findings provided further understanding of cross-cultural similarities and differences in grandparent caregiving. Findings are discussed in the context of the globality of grandparent caregiving and the salience of family dynamic and values among Chinese grandparent caregivers. These findings also underscore the lack of supportive services for Chinese grandparents in light of their personal adaptive qualities and the demands of raising a grandchild.
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