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Grandparents raising grandchildren in Australia: exploring psychological health and grandparents’ experience of providing kinship care
Author(s) -
Dunne Emer G.,
Kettler Lisa J.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2397.2007.00529.x
Subject(s) - grandparent , psychology , kinship care , strengths and difficulties questionnaire , clinical psychology , anxiety , developmental psychology , telephone interview , mental health , kinship , psychiatry , social science , sociology , political science , law
This study explores relationships between the psychological health of grandparents raising grandchildren and grandchildren's social, emotional and behavioural issues. Fifty‐two grandparents raising grandchildren (Caregiving) and an age‐matched sample (N = 45) of grandparents who were not the primary caregivers of their grandchildren (Non‐caregiving) participated in the study. All participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale Questionnaire (DASS21), and grandparents in the caregiving group completed the Caregiver form of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and a semi‐structured telephone interview. Grandparents in the Caregiving group scored higher on all three DASS21 subscales than the Non‐caregiving group. Statistically significant associations were found between grandparents’ DASS21 scores and grandchildren's SDQ scores. Qualitative analyses of interviews were conducted describing a priori themes of conflict, challenges and rewards, and emergent themes of no choice/option, duty and pride. Clinical implications of this study point to the importance of providing increased levels of psychological support for grandparents and grandchildren. Longitudinal studies are needed.