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White
and Black Grandmothers Have Different Responses to Raising
Grandchildren
Washington, DC --
Caregiving is a bigger burden on White grandmothers than it is on
Black grandmothers, according a recent study published in the
September 2002 issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological
Sciences.
The study by Rachel A.
Pruchno and Dorothy McKenney of Boston College looked at the
psychological well-being of 867 grandmothers raising grandchildren in
households that did not include either of the grandchild's parent.
The number of
grandmothers who are living with and raising grandchildren in
households that do not include either of the grandchild's parents
continues to rise and is among the fastest growing type of household
since 1990. By 2000, there were 2,354,121 grandparent caregivers in
the United States.
The study found that
"the quality of relationship with [the] grandchild's parents is
significantly related to caregiving satisfaction for the White
grandmothers, but this relationship is not significant for the Black
grandmothers." According to Pruchno and McKenney family dynamics and
the relationship with the grandchild's parents may be important in
understanding the caregiving experiences of White grandmothers.
Race is a factor in
both caregiving experience and psychological well-being. Historically
Black and White grandmothers have played different roles within
families, with Black grandmothers playing a more central role in
holding kin networks together. Black grandmothers are less likely than
White grandmothers to embrace norms of noninterference.
The study also found
similarities in the experiences of Black and White grandmothers,
notably in grandchild behavior problems, levels of help grandmothers
provide, health, life satisfaction, and depression.
The Journal of
Gerontology: Psychological Sciences is a refereed publication of The
Gerontological Society of America, the national organization of
professionals in the field of aging.
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