ScholarWorks > Institutes & Centers > Grandparents Raising Grandchildren > GrandFamilies > Vol. 7 > Iss. 1 (2022)
GrOW National Study of Grandfamilies During COVID-19: Wave I and Wave II Results and Recommendations
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted families across the globe. This study highlights how a multidisciplinary workgroup, Grandfamilies Outcome Workgroup (GrOW) operationalized a caregiver-centered data cycle to learn how COVID-19 has impacted grandfamilies across the United States. The National Grandfamilies and COVID-19 Wave I (n=600, June 2020) and Wave II (n=225, July 2021) surveys recruited grandfamilies nationwide through GrOW’s network of kinship community partners. Wave I survey results illuminated that all sources of social support were reduced for grandfamilies during the pandemic, except for online support groups. Wave II provided an opportunity to revise the survey to capture emergent issues relevant to a later stage of the pandemic for grandfamilies. Results indicated that 73% of caregivers were vaccinated. Results also identified gaps in caregiver knowledge of kinship navigator programs and supports in their communities. Recommendations for future research are provided.
Keywords
Kinship, COVID-19, Grandfamilies’ Outcome Workgroup, Culturally Responsive Research, Translational Dissemination
Recommended Citation
Rosenthal, M.,
Littlewood, K.,
Langosch, D.,
Cooper, L.,
Fedus, D. B.,
Devine, A.,
Pandey, A.
(2022). GrOW National Study of Grandfamilies During COVID-19: Wave I and Wave II Results and Recommendations. GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy, 7 (1).
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/grandfamilies/vol7/iss1/8
