Grandparents parenting minor grandchildren is emerging as a major sociological and public health issue in the United States.According to 1996 U.S. Census data,1.4 million children are living with grandparents. Over forty three thousand parenting grandparents in Detroit are caring for minor grandchildren in homes where the parent(s)is absent. Little is known about this emerging national trend.The purpose of this descriptive study of African-American grandparents was to identify the antecedents to grandparent parenting,pilot a demographic instrument to gather baseline data on a small sample of grandparents, administer the Parenting Stress Index to the grandparents to assess the stress of parenting, and assess the grandparents' perception of their health status.The sample included thirty A.A. grandmothers and one grandfather.Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data.Findings revealed that the antecedents to parenting included neglect/abuse, abandonment,substance abuse, teen mother, death of a parent, and other reasons not disclosed.The Parenting Stress Index scored child and parent stress for twenty five and twenty three per cent of grandparents, respectively.Life stress for seventy four percent of grandparents was scored above the eightieth percentile.The grandmothers, ages thirty five to sixty, reported the greater number of stress related, health problems.Implications of these findings suggest the need for further assessment of stressors and interventions by multidisciplinary caregivers.
Learning Objectives: Learner will identify two characteristics of parenting grandparents. Learner will identify two parenting stressors. Learner will identify a nursing intervention. Faculty will discuss antecedents to grandparent parenting. Faculty will discuss characteristics of African-American parenting grandparents. Faculty will discuss grandparent health perceptions. Faculty will describe parenting stressors. Faculty will discuss nursing interventions
Keywords: Minority Health, Emerging Health Issues
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.