Grandparents raising grandchildren: Investigating factors associated with distress among custodial grandparents

The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between the psychological health of grandparents raising grandchildren, and those grandchildren's social, emotional and behavioural issues. The study also assessed the relationship between psychological well-being in grandparents and access to informal social support. The sample comprised 100 grandparents who were raising grandchildren. Regression analyses revealed that grandparents caring for grandchildren with abnormal emotional and hyperactive symptoms scored higher on measures of anxiety, stress, and depression, and were more likely to report less life satisfaction. Grandparents with greater access to informal support experienced less depression, although greater access to informal social support did not lessen the impact of raising grandchildren with social, emotional, or behavioural issues. Implications for intervention and policy are discussed.