Exploring the behavior of juveniles and young adults raised by custodial grandmothers

Goulette, Natalie; Evans, Sara Z.; King, Dione Moultrie

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.10.004

Cited by 15 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Researchers of previous studies have demonstrated that, in addition to having experienced adversity early in life, these children tend to have fewer coping resources because they cannot turn to their parents for support. 22 Some studies indicate that children being raised by grandparents have a higher prevalence of developmental delays, 23 behavioral issues, 24 and academic difficulties, 25 suggesting that the combination of higher traumatic event exposure and poorer coping skills in children in nonparental care may hinder positive social development. However, after adjusting for selection bias caused by child and family background factors, other studies have shown that nonparental care is not associated with poorer cognitive skills or behavioral problems.…”

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confidence: 99%

Family Well-being in Grandparent- Versus Parent-Headed Households

et al. 2020

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the 2% of US children being raised by their grandparents. We sought to characterize and compare grandparent-and parent-headed households with respect to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), child temperament, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and caregiver aggravation and coping. METHODS: Using a combined data set of children ages 3 to 17 from the 2016, 2017, and 2018 National Survey of Children's Health, we applied survey regression procedures, adjusted for sociodemographic confounders, to compare grandparent-and parent-headed households on composite and single-item outcome measures of ACEs; ADHD; preschool inattention and restlessness; child temperament; and caregiver aggravation, coping, support, and interactions with children. RESULTS: Among 80 646 households (2407 grandparent-headed, 78 239 parent-headed), children in grandparent-headed households experienced more ACEs (b = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07 to 1.38). Preschool-aged and school-aged children in grandparent-headed households were more likely to have ADHD (adjusted odds ratio = 4.29, 95% CI: 2.22 to 8.28; adjusted odds ratio = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.34 to 2.20). School-aged children in these households had poorer temperament (b adj = .25, 95% CI: 20.63 to 1.14), and their caregivers experienced greater aggravation (b adj = .29, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.49). However, these differences were not detected after excluding children with ADHD from the sample. No differences were noted between grandparent-and parent-headed households for caregiver coping, emotional support, or interactions with children. CONCLUSIONS: Despite caring for children with greater developmental problems and poorer temperaments, grandparent caregivers seem to cope with parenting about as well as parents. WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Nearly 3 million children today are raised by their grandparents, often because of social adversity. Research to date has primarily demonstrated negative social and health outcomes for caregivers and children in grandparentheaded households. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: In a large, nationally representative US sample, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and childhood adversity appear to be responsible for some of the behavioral and developmental disparities observed between grandparent-and parent-headed households. No differences in caregiver coping and emotional support were found.

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confidence: 99%

Family Well-being in Grandparent- Versus Parent-Headed Households

et al. 2020

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“…Youths who are raised in singleparent households are more likely to use drugs and alcohol and engage in a number of delinquent behaviors, including property and violent crime (Brown and Rinelli 2010;Demuth and Brown 2004;Fagan and Wright 2012;Griffin et al 2000;Kroese et al 2021;Rebellon 2002;Schroeder et al 2010). Several scholars note, however, that this relationship between family structure and juvenile delinquency is still dependent on how involved caregivers are, the level of supervision provided, and the overall relationship between the caregivers and youths (Demuth and Brown 2004;Goulette et al 2016;Jacobsen and Zaatut 2022;Mack et al 2007).…”

Section: Family Structure Delinquency and Gang Membershipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caregiver Type and Gang Involvement: A Comparison of Female and Male Gang Members

Scott,

Goulette

2023

Social Sciences

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Gang involvement and delinquency are prominent issues frequently examined in criminal justice scholarship. Research has revealed that gang involvement increases the likelihood of delinquency/crime, and that youth participate in gangs for a variety of reasons including protection, status, and a sense of belonging. Although research has found that various social and familial factors increase the probability of gang involvement, it primarily focuses on males, and little work has compared how a youth’s primary caregiver influences the likelihood of gang involvement among both male and female gang members. The current study uses school level data to examine gang involvement and primary caregiver type among male and female youth. The results identify significant differences in gang involvement among boys and girls when examining primary caretaker. The findings have implications for theory and programming in connection with youth gang involvement for both boys and girls.

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“…There has been no research on the psychological health of children being reared by grandparents in Appalachia, but there are a number of studies from other geographical areas. Most of this research focuses on externalizing symptoms (e.g., Goulette, Evans, & King, 2016; Pilkauskas & Dunifon, 2016). Research indicates that children reared by grandparents have better psychological outcomes than children placed in foster care (Rubin et al, 2008), but that children may fare worse in grandfamilies than in traditional two-parent biological families who are also economically disadvantaged (Pittman & Boswell, 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

Internalizing Symptoms in Children Being Reared by Grandparents in Rural Appalachia: Risk and Protective Factors

Keller

Schoenberg

2021

Journal of Family Issues

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The present study investigates factors associated with anxiety, depression, and stress in children being reared by their grandparents in rural Appalachia. Grandparent-headed households, in which grandparents have primary responsibility for care of children, are increasing in number. However, research is needed on child risk for internalizing symptoms in this context. Participants included 35 children aged 5–18 years and one of their custodial grandparents. Interviewers read questionnaires to grandparents and children assessing family functioning and child mental health and participants indicated their answers. Mean scores for child internalizing symptoms and stress were on the higher end of the scale of measurement. Lower grandparent positive parenting, grandparent not having formal custody of children, greater grandparent mental health issues, lower grandparent education, and lower financial status were correlated with greater child anxiety, depression, and stress. Results also indicated that correlates of children’s internalizing symptoms differed based on child sex and age.

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Exploring the behavior of juveniles and young adults raised by custodial grandmothers

Cited by 15 publications

References 67 publications

Family Well-being in Grandparent- Versus Parent-Headed Households

Family Well-being in Grandparent- Versus Parent-Headed Households

Caregiver Type and Gang Involvement: A Comparison of Female and Male Gang Members

Internalizing Symptoms in Children Being Reared by Grandparents in Rural Appalachia: Risk and Protective Factors

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