Grandmothers, Caregiving, Families, and Transitions

祖母、照顾、家庭和过渡

• 批准号: 7147650
• 负责人: Carol M. Musil
• 金额: $ 31.29万
• 依托单位: CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-04-01 至 2009-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7147650
• 关键词: behavioral /social science research tag; caregivers; child care; clinical research; coping; family structure /dynamics; female; grandparent; human subject; interview; longitudinal human study; psychological stressor; quality of life; questionnaires; racial /ethnic difference; social support network; women' s health

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 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.

描述（由申请人提供）：超过 520 万美国祖母担任孙辈的照顾者，无论是作为孙辈的主要照顾者还是生活在多代同堂的家庭中，并且在家庭功能中发挥着关键作用。我们的研究小组之前的研究表明，主要照顾者的祖母比非同住的祖母有更多的抑郁症、更差的身体健康状况和更多的家庭功能问题，而且主要照顾者和多代祖母都报告了家庭内部压力。我们正在进行的研究还揭示了三个有趣的发现：首先，很少有研究考察祖父母抚养的孩子的看法；其次，祖母照顾状态的转变数量惊人；第三，儿童的看法及其与家庭动态的联系在很大程度上被忽视。我们建议在下一项研究中结合这三个重要发现，调查这些转变对祖母和孙辈的影响。这项延续研究的具体目标是：1）延长对祖母护理经历的评估范围，包括护理过渡； 2) 评估孙辈对家庭功能、支持和抑郁症状的看法，并将这些数据与祖母的数据进行比较，3) 检查照顾转变对孙辈的影响，4) 确定干预措施的感知需求。该研究采用纵向比较设计和家庭压力弹性模型，以约 400 名女性为样本，根据祖母身份将其分为三组，考察压力、健康状况、社会支持资源和足智多谋。所有护理组的数据将通过祖母两次（间隔一年）邮寄问卷的方式收集，孙辈（9-16 岁）通过电话收集。我们的试点研究结果表明，孩子们拥有丰富的信息，有助于我们了解家庭动态。我们将对经历照顾者转变的孙辈进行叙述性访谈，以阐明这些转变如何影响孙辈和家庭。这项研究将有助于我们了解不同时期与孙子一起生活的祖母的心理健康和家庭功能，并提供确定干预措施的时间、目标和背景所需的信息，以支持高危祖母和孙子的健康。