Interventions to Improve Outcomes of Grandchildren Raised by Grandparents: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Purpose: This systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of interventions that seek to improve outcomes of grandchildren raised by grandparents. Method: A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was undertaken. We searched in Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Family Studies Abstracts, PubMed, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Results indicated that grandchildren who participated in these interventions had improvement in their socio-emotional, mental, and behavioral outcomes but had mixed educational outcomes, regardless of research designs and evaluation methods. Two out of eight studies were of high quality, while the rest needed improved rigor in designs and analyses. Conclusions: The review summarized evidence for interventions to improve grandchildren’s outcomes and pointed out directions for future research and practice.

Mental/behavioural health and educational outcomes of grandchildren raised by custodial grandparents: A mixed methods systematic review

“…Results of methodological quality appraisal reminded us that interpreting the findings of these studies required consideration of their methodological limitations. This review provides a comprehensive overview of custodial grandchildren's mental/behavioural and educational outcomes and identifies factors contributing to these outcomes, which will provide some important implications for future interventions (Xu et al, 2022).…”

“…Results from quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies are mostly consistent with each other, but there are some discrepancies depending on the methodology and study location. This review provides a comprehensive overview of custodial grandchildren's mental/behavioural and educational outcomes and identifies factors contributing to these outcomes, which will provide some important implications for future interventions (Xu et al, 2022 ). Moreover, this review identifies some gaps in research and further points out future research directions.…”