CLEVELAND, Ohio – Case Western Reserve University has received a $2 million grant to help grandmothers manage the stress of raising grandchildren.
The four-year grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow researchers at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing to refine and test a new approach to help grandmothers reduce the emotional and physical toll of their role.
In the study, caregivers will participate in a web-based program designed to improve coping skills to manage stressful situations.
“From the comfort of home, grandmothers can use an online tool that will aim to reduce depression and improve health, family functioning and overall well-being,” Carol Musil, a nursing professor who ls leading the study, said in a statement.
Growing concern
About 2.7 million of grandparents are caregivers according to the Census Bureau.
In 1970, about 3 percent of children in the U.S. lived in grandparent-maintained households. By 2010, that population was 7 percent, or about one in 14 children, CWRU said.
“The parents are not in the home, and it’s often attributable to drug addiction,” Musil Aresbet said. “We last saw it with crack cocaine; now it’s opioid and heroin addictions. Grandmothers step in, but those caring for grandchildren are stressed and depressed, which has a cascading effect on the family.”
Previous research–including studies by Musil– show a a clear connection between the responsibility of caring for grandchildren and a grandparent’s health, especially depression.
Moving a proven formula online
The study builds on Musil’s previously successful work with grandmothers.
With a national sample of more than 300 grandmothers, researchers will randomly assign subjects to one of two different approaches to managing individual and family stress.
General mental health and depressive symptoms, physical health and family functioning will be measured at two, 12 and 24 months.
The study will also determine if family demographics including the grandmother’s age, race, education, marital status, employment status, family income and the age and number of grandchildren, affect the outcomes.
“The approach could provide a low-cost, readily accessible way to help grandmothers raising grandchildren and those living with them in multigenerational homes to improve their own mental and physical wellness–and promote better family well-being,” Musil said.
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