Grandparents: pals or pressure!
USA, many children wind up living with their grandparents either by choice or by abandonment. In USA grandparents are also the primary care givers of children of many teen mothers. According to Minkler (1999), welfare reforms which make receipt of benefits by teenagers contingent on either living with their parents, being in school and / or having a job, may have the effect of pressuring increasing numbers of grandparents into becoming the primary caregivers for their grandchildren.
In USA the rate of incarceration of women has increased substantially over the last decade and research indicates that grandparents are the primary care providers to over 50% of children of imprisoned mothers (Smith, Beltran et al, 2000).
Mental health problems have also been a contributing factor towards grandparents raising their grandchildren. Research in the USA by Ackerson (2003) shows that parenting can often present major difficulties for people with mental health problems and grandparents are often the most frequent careers if a parent is hospitalized.
A study into grandparent headed families in the USA revealed that children in the care of grandparents were more likely to experience cognitive emotional and physical challenges and their early traumatic experiences could lead to difficulties in communication and forming attachments (Smith, Beltran et al, 2000).
According to Minkler and Roe (1993), USA studies believed that raising their grandchildren had given them a second chance at parenting, a sense of pride and accomplishment a new lease on life. In another two studies, focus was made on psychological costs and benefits of raising grandchildren, grandparents talked about the joy of sharing their grandchild’s life, the enjoyment of participating in activities with their grandchildren and being able to help grandchildren learn new skills (Giarrusso, Silverstein et al, 2000).
The challenges facing grandparents who are raising their grandchildren have been the subject of much research. Physical and emotional health problems reveal that grandparent care giving was directly associated with high levels of depression (Minkler, Fuller-Thomson, Miller & Driver, 2000).
However, it is imperative to understand that grandparent care giving can also be beneficial to the health of grandparents. In a US based study by Waldrop and Weber (2001), grandparents have shown their views regarding their lifestyle and they feel more active and healthier as a result of raising grandchildren.
The implications are wide and thought provoking. But who are these families? The number of grandparent caregivers is growing. The phenomenon of families headed by grandparents is not unique to a particular population group or geographic area. The only prerequisite is being a grandparent—and even that may not be necessary, because aunts, uncles, siblings and godparents are also raising children not their own.
Summary
Along with the usual demands involved in becoming a parent again, grandparent caregivers may face many other emotional, legal, social and financial challenges. They often lack support services, especially respite services. They may find it difficult to locate affordable housing and legal counsel or to obtain medical care and insurance coverage for their grandchildren. Their new situation may create extreme stress, which in turn may cause physical and mental health problems, such as exhaustion or depression. While their friends may be looking forward to retirement, grandparent caregivers may be trying to balance work, child care and parent-teacher conferences. Grandparents who have already retired may be forced to go back to work to cover the expenses of raising a second family. In addition, grandparent caregivers often lack support from peers because of their unique situation. Respite is one form of family support most often needed (Bjorklund, 2001). The need for respite services by this population is paramount, because many grandparents are “going it alone.” Although they may struggle with their new parenting responsibilities, many are not involved with any social service agency or even with an informal support network. These grandparents have a great need for sustained support, but they may be unfamiliar with respite services, or, if they have heard of respite, may not know where to find the services. They may believe such services are available only to parents. For these reasons, it is crucial that respite services reach out to grandparent caregivers through family service agencies, senior centers, religious institutions and schools. Another important avenue for outreach can be found in local support groups for grandparents raising grandchildren. Many grandparent caregivers seek out support groups of other grandparent caregivers as a way to combat isolation and to pool resources. In many ways, grandparents