No abstract

There has been an increase in grandparents raising their grandchildren due to parental absence. This family structure has affected urban, single, low-income African Americans at a higher rate than any other racial group. Research on grandchildren reared in grandparent-headed families (GHF) states these children are at risk of significant emotional, behavioral, physical problems, and learning disabilities than children living with their biological parents. This exploratory study involved qualitative individual interviews with 14 African American grandchildren ages 10-16 and their 6 grandparent caregivers. Results indicated that although the majority of the grandchildren were content living with their grandparents, they experienced adjustment issues related to their histories of family disruption and parental loss. Family factors that might affect grandchildren's adjustment to living in a GHF are discussed, as well as implications for counselors and recommendations for future research with grandchildren from GHF.Family and societal changes (e.g., increases in child abuse and maltreatment, substance abuse, divorce, teenage pregnancy, single parenthood, and HIV/AIDS) in the past 20 years have led to major changes in the nuclear family structure. One of these family changes includes an increase in grandparents raising their grandchildren in parent-absent homes. Research indicates that these grandparents experience an increased rate of caregiver stress, parenting stress, and psychological problems (

Many grandparents today have the responsibility of caring for their grandchildren. Although caregiving grandparents come from all racial groups and social classes, single African American grandparents from urban, low-income households are represented at a higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group. As the number of grandparent-headed households continues to increase in society, so do their stressors, and the need to understand these families' experiences becomes more significant. The purpose of this article is to explore the experiences and stresses affecting African American grandparents who are the primary caregivers of their grandchildren. First, a general description of grandparent-headed families (GHF) is presented, followed by a brief history and discussion of the factors leading to GHF. Current research in the kinship care literature on GHF is reviewed. In conclusion, the author discusses research and clinical implications for family counselors working with these families.

Adolescent depression is a major public health concern. Depression and depressive symptoms are more prevalent in adolescent females and are associated with high-risk sexual behavior. Only one third of adolescents receive professional help for their depression, although about 90% visit their primary care providers on average 2-3 times per year. It is imperative that health professionals seek additional methods in the identification and treatment of depressive symptoms. This paper presents findings of the presence of clinically significant depressive symptoms in African American female adolescents receiving routine health care services within an adolescent primary care reproductive health clinic. Results revealed higher rates of depressive symptoms in this subsample of African American adolescent females when compared to the national sample, suggesting that primary care reproductive health clinics are a viable setting for the identification of depressive symptoms among low income, African American female adolescents. Psychosocial interventions and recommendations for the integration of primary care reproductive health, and behavioral health consultation services are presented.

There has been a rise over the past several years in behavior problems among preschoolers. Young children who exhibit disruptive behavior are at increased risk of problematic outcomes later in life. Children from racial or ethnic minority groups and/or disadvantaged backgrounds may be at greater risk for behavioral problems. Therefore, interventions are needed before these behaviors become more entrenched. Parents of children with disruptive behaviors have reported higher parenting stress levels, which has a negative effect on parenting behaviors. Three models of parenting styles and behaviors are discussed, with a focus on the literature on African American parenting styles. To contribute to the literature addressing parenting training programs with African American populations, a case is presented as an example of the usefulness of an evidence-based behavioral family intervention with a low-income African American single parent family. Treatment recommendations are presented when applying evidence-based parenting programs with African American and other racial or ethnic minority groups.