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ScholarWorks > Institutes & Centers > Grandparents Raising Grandchildren > GrandFamilies > Vol. 7 > Iss. 1 (2022)

 

Abstract

Getting timely access to help, information, and a variety of services is paramount among the challenges of raising a grandchild, and grandparents face a variety of internal and external barriers in getting such help. The present pilot exploratory study focused on caregiving-related and personal resource variables best associated with minority grandparent caregivers’ perceptions of barriers to receiving services. In contrast to previous work, the present study focused on African American and Latino grandparent caregivers. Fifty grandparents (M age = 58.59) of minority status (African American, Latino, Philippine) raising their grandchildren completed measures assessing caregiver strain, social support, resilience, self-care, positive emotions, health, depression, and grandchild relationship quality. They also completed measures about difficulties in getting health services and help from others; if their needs for services were being met; and the extent to which they had experienced a variety of internal and external barriers in getting help, assistance, and services in the past three months. Correlations suggested that depression, as well as income, caregiver strain, and caregiving-related issues associated with difficulties in getting help (p < .05) were all related to greater perceived barriers. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that only income and caregiver strain uniquely predicted perceived barriers. These findings underscore the role of a diverse set of factors influencing the impact of barriers to getting needed services. The findings suggest that such factors are important for minority custodial grandparents to overcome barriers to service utilization and improve their well-being and ability to cope with the challenges of raising grandchildren.

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