Effectiveness of Interventions for Grandparent Caregivers: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Grandparent caregivers face a myriad of challenges that require intervention at various levels. Programs are now available to enhance the lives of grandparent caregivers, and there is evidence, although largely from methodologically inadequate studies, that such interventions are beneficial. This review critically appraised the research on the effectiveness of different interventions for these grandparents. A total of 21 studies were included in the review. Studies were assessed according to research design, methodological quality, and intervention outcomes. Best available evidence suggests that interventions within the cognitive-behavioral spectrum have the most empirical support. Promising approaches that require further research include interdisciplinary case management, support groups, and psychoeducational interventions. To establish an evidence base for interventions designed to promote the wellbeing of grandparents and alleviate the stress associated with raising grandchildren, there is a need for high quality intervention studies. Future trials need to be rigorous in design and include high quality descriptions of all aspects of methodology to enable appraisal and interpretation of results.

A randomized clinical trial of interventions for improving well-being in custodial grandfamilies.

“…McLaughlin, Ryder, and Taylor (2017) reviewed 21 psychosocial or physical health interventions for caregiving grandparents published from 2004 to 2014 involving either case management, cognitive behavioral or skills-based training, support groups, or psychoeducation. McLaughlin and colleagues concluded that “there is a paucity of strong evidence to support a definitive approach to intervention for grandparents raising grandchildren” (p. 526).…”

Interventions to Improve Grandparent Caregivers’ Mental and Physical Health: An Integrative Review

“…Most of the studies used a pretest–posttest or quasi-experimental design. We agree with Hadfield (2014) and McLaughlin and colleagues (2016) who previously asserted that more randomized controlled trials need to be conducted to validate interventions designed for grandparent caregivers. Some of the studies had small sample sizes, which could have contributed to nonsignificant findings.…”

“…A recent systematic review identified 21 intervention studies targeting grandparent caregivers that were published between 2004 and 2014. This review discussed bias but did not provide a detailed report of the risk of bias or systematic error in study results or inferences (McLaughlin, Ryder, & Taylor, 2016). When aspects of bias were mentioned in this systematic review, the study to which the bias was attributed was typically not referenced.…”

The importance of family‐focused and strengths‐based approaches to interventions for grandfamilies

“…Several different approaches are used by existing evidence‐based interventions for grandparent caregivers (Chan et al, 2019; McLaughlin et al, 2017). For example, some seek to reinforce grandparents' parenting skills (McLaughlin et al, 2017), whereas others focus on case management (McCallion et al, 2004; Strozier, 2012) or physical health (Kelly et al, 2011; Young & Denson, 2014). However, heterogeneity in the situations and needs of grandfamilies makes it difficult to find a one‐size‐fits‐all approach (Chan et al, 2019).…”