Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren

描述（由申请人提供）：这个职业发展奖将侧重于祖父母照顾孙子孙女的问题。现有的研究报告对祖父母的福祉既有积极的影响，也有消极的影响。但主要由于数据和研究设计的局限性，证据并不确凿。拟议中的研究重点是中国，在中国，祖父母为孙子孙女提供日常照顾是一种规范。我将使用一个纵向数据集，即中国健康与营养调查，这是一个来自中国八个省份的面板调查数据。该调查包括关于儿童保育和广泛的保健措施的详细数据。拟议的工作应加强我们的理解，通过祖父母照顾影响祖父母的健康的过程。我的具体目标如下： 目标1：请说明中国祖父母照料的范围，包括由祖父母照料的儿童的比例和祖父母照料责任的程度。 目标二：研究与中国祖父母照顾相关的因素，包括母亲的工作负荷强度，祖父母的特点，以及各种结构和背景因素。 目标3：评估中国祖父母照顾与健康之间的关系，包括祖父母照顾对各种健康结果指标的直接和长期影响。 目标4：设计中国老年人心理健康的测量方法并收集原始数据，旨在进一步证明祖父母照顾与老年人幸福感之间的关系。 在获奖期间，我建议发展人口，健康和老龄化领域的知识和分析技能。通过与该领域的领导者密切合作，我希望获得复杂数据分析方面的专业知识，培养成功竞争未来研究资金所需的技能，并成为独立的研究科学家。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 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.