Rural grandparenting: A Wellness approach
Main Article Content
Abstract
The study examined the experiences of African American grandmothers living in rural settings providing care to their grandchildren, in the mist of their own chronic health issues. The study explored the health, physical functioning, well-being, support, and resources of these grandmothers. The custodial grandmothers reported challenges and needs which included their own health issues, lack of support, financial concerns, transportation and childcare issues. The findings revealed that developing health education programs and other formal supports focusing on health, and resources have a positive effect on the grandmother’s perceptions regarding their health and support.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
- Berera EM and Crew SE. Parenthood in the Twenty first Centery: African American Grandparents as Surrogate Parents. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environemnt, 2013, 23(2): 178-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2013.747348
- Peterson TL. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in the African American Community. Generations, 2018, 42(3): 30-36.
- Martin SD. (2016). Grandparents raising grandchildren: The lived experience of extended family reconciliation. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies, 2991. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2991
- Connolly M, Kiraly M, McCrae L, et al. A Kinship Care Practice Framework: Using a Life Course Approach. British Journal of Social Work, 2017, 47(1): 87-105. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcw041
- Worrall J. Challenges of Grandparent Custody of Children at Risk in New Zealand. Families in Society: Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 2006, 87(4): 546-554. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3570
- Farmer E. How do placements in kinship care compare with those in non-kin foster care: placement patterns, progress and outcomes? Child & Family Social Work, 2009, 14(3): 331-342. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2008.00600.x
- Witmer JM and Sweeney TJ. A Holistic Model for Wellness and Prevention Over the Life Span. Journal of Counseling & Development, 1992, 71(2): 140-148. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1992.tb02189.x
- Berera EM and Crew SE. Parenthood in the Twenty first Centery: African American Grandparents as Surrogate Parents. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environemnt, 2013, 23(2): 178-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2013.747348
- Peterson TL. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in the African American Community. Generations, 2018, 42(3): 30-36.
- Martin SD. (2016). Grandparents raising grandchildren: The lived experience of extended family reconciliation. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies, 2991. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2991
- Connolly M, Kiraly M, McCrae L, et al. A Kinship Care Practice Framework: Using a Life Course Approach. British Journal of Social Work, 2017, 47(1): 87-105. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcw041
- Worrall J. Challenges of Grandparent Custody of Children at Risk in New Zealand. Families in Society: Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 2006, 87(4): 546-554. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3570
- Farmer E. How do placements in kinship care compare with those in non-kin foster care: placement patterns, progress and outcomes? Child & Family Social Work, 2009, 14(3): 331-342. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2008.00600.x
- Witmer JM and Sweeney TJ. A Holistic Model for Wellness and Prevention Over the Life Span. Journal of Counseling & Development, 1992, 71(2): 140-148. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1992.tb02189.x
- Hattie A, Myers JE and Sweeney TJ. A factor structure of wellness: Theory, assessment, analysis, and practice. Journal of Counseling & Development, 2004, 82(3): 354-364. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2004.tb00321.x
- Harnett PH, Dawe S and Russell M. An investigation of the needs of grandparents who are raising grandchildren. Child & Family Social Work, 2014, 19(4): 411-420. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12036
- Zahavi D. Self and other: from pure ego to co-constituted we. Continental Philosophy Review, 2015, 48: 143-160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11007-015-9328-2
- Giorgi A. The descriptive phenomenological method in psychology: A modified Husserlian approach. Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University, 2009.
- Saunders B, Sim J, Kingstone T, et al. Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. Quality & Quantity, 2018, 52(4): 1893-1907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-017-0574-8
- Mertens DM. Divergence and Mixed Methods. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 2010, 4(1): 3-5. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689809358406
- Carter B and McGoldrick M. The expanded family life cycle: Individual, Family, and social perspectives, Allyn and Bacon Classics in Education, 2009.
- Denby RW, Testa MF, Alford KA, et al. A. Protective Factors as Mediators and Moderators of Risk Effects on Perceptions of Child Well-Being in Kinship Care. Child Welfare, 2017, 95(4): 111-136.
- Doley R, Bell R, Watt B, et al. (2015). Grandparents raising grandchildren: investigating factors associated with distress among custodial grandparents. Journal of Family Studies, 2015, 21(2): 101- 119. https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2015.1015215
- Woods T. Rural grandparenting through a family development lens: Implications for social work practice. Journal of Social Work Practice, 2021, 35(3): 273-286. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2020.1737515
- Gibson EJ. Perceiving the affordances: A portrait of two psychologists. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002.
- Hayslip B and Kaminski PL. Grandparent raising their grandchildren: A review of the literature and suggestions for practice. The Gerontologist, 2005, 45(2): 262-269. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/45.2.262
- Jendrek MP. Grandparents Who Parent Their Grandchildren: Circumstances and Decisions. The Gerontologist, 1994, 34: 206-216. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/34.2.206
- Johnson-Garner M and Meyers S. What Factors Contribute to the Resilience of African-American Children Within Kinship Care? Child and Youth Care Forum, 2003, 32: 255-269. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025883726991
- Smith GC and Lee J. Appraisals of Self in the Caregiver Role as Made by Married Custodial Grandparents. Family Relations, 2021, 70(1): 179-194. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12451
- Peterson TL. Changes in Health Perceptions among Older Grandparents Raising Adolescent Grandchildren. Social Work in Public Health, 2017, 32(6): 394-406. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2017.1327389
- Xu Y, Jedwab M, Wu Q, et al. Risk and protective factors associated with grandparent kinship caregivers’ psychological distress in COVID-19: Kinship license status as a moderator. Child & Family Social Work, 2022, 27(1): 41-54. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12864
- Bruder SF. (2020). What are the stresses of grandparents raising grandchildren? NEJM JournalWatch. Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. https://www.proquest.com
- Nakhnikian G. The principle of reciprocal obligations. Philosophical Studies, 1989, 55: 195-204. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354187
- Bent-Goodley T, Fairfax C and Carlton-LaNey I. The significance of African-centered social work for social work practice. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 2017, 27: 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2016.1273682
- Schriver JM. Human behavior and the social environment: Shifting paradigms in essential knowledge for social work practice). Boston: Pearson & Allyn & Bacon, 2020.
- Myers JE, Sweeney TJ and Witmer JM. The Wheel of Wellness Counseling for Wellness: A Holistic Model for Treatment Planning. Journal of Counseling & Development, 2011, 78(3): 251-266. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2000.tb01906.x