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Grandmothers Caring for Grandchildren Prone to
Stress, Depression
Nov. 12, 2004 - Grandmothers who are caregivers to
grandchildren are more prone to stress and depressive symptoms than
non-caregivers according to the latest research by Case Western Reserve
University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. Carol Musil,
associate professor of nursing at Case, is leading an ongoing National
Institutes of Health-funded study which examines the effects of
caregiving on the health of 450 Ohio grandmothers, as well as how it
impacts their families.
In a four-year study, which began in 2001 and will
conclude in 2005, grandmothers who are the primary caregivers of
children reported to Case researchers they had experienced greater
stress and more depressive symptoms than non-caregivers.
"These are older women who may have health needs of
their own," said Musil. "So caring for a grandchild who may have health
problems, developmental challenges or an increased need for care creates
additional stress for these grandparents."
The ages of the children may make a difference:
younger children are physically demanding but older children often
require more emotional and psychological energy.
The study includes comparison groups of
grandmothers living in multigenerational homes and non-caregiver
grandmothers, and examines the links between the women and their
families in terms of overall stress, health and well-being. Its goal is
to understand how to help these women stay healthy as the aging
population rises in the United States. The other objective is to help
identify factors, including skills such as resourcefulness, that may
moderate the effects of stress on health regardless of caregiving
responsibilities to grandchildren. Adequate emotional and physical
support for these grandmothers, say researchers, will make a dramatic
difference in their health and ability to provide care for their
grandchildren.
Prior studies have shown that more active coping
resulted in better health for caregiving grandmothers, and that those
who took a planned approach fared much better than those who ignored
problems or just reacted to them.
"My hope is that this study will outline the need
for additional services, financial assistance and health-related support
for grandmothers, which would be tailored to the role they play in the
lives of their grandchildren," Musil said.
The research team also concluded that grandmothers
were aware of the challenges they faced, expressed interest in health
promotion for themselves and their grandchildren and were committed to
actively seeking ways to raise their grandchildren more effectively.
While facing a unique set of challenges and responsibilities, the
grandmothers also acknowledged the obstacles are offset by immeasurable
rewards for the entire family.
"The grandmothers told us that no matter how tired,
how stressed or how challenged they were with the care of their
grandchildren, they would do anything possible to provide the best
outcome for these children," said Musil.
Participants also supported the theory that there
is strength in numbers, by attributing a better experience as primary
caregivers to reliance upon women, such as themselves, for support.
Musil, however, pointed out that grandmothers need much more than moral
support alone.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 4.1 million, or
3.9 percent of all U.S. households include grandparents and
grandchildren, and of these, 34 percent or 1.4 million households have
no parent present in the home. In nearly 91 percent of these families,
the co-resident grandparent is a grandmother, and she, alone or with a
spouse, likely heads the household. Grandparents with primary
responsibility of children take on this role when parents are unable to
do so because of death, drug or alcohol abuse, child neglect, mental or
physical problems or incarceration.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in
1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology
and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths
in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in
Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and
Sciences, Dentistry, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing,
and Social Sciences.
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