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Empowering Grandmothers: Marshalling Social Support for Raising Grandchildren

This symposium paper presentation discusses the impact of an intervention on grandmothers' self-reported stress and satisfaction with social support. The study explores the effects of a 4-week empowerment intervention and examines the influences that may affect the strength and value of these effects.

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Empowering Grandmothers: Marshalling Social Support for Raising Grandchildren

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  1. Marshalling Social Support for Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren Southern Gerontological Association Meetings Friday April 7, 2017 - Asheville, NC The Impact of the Intervention on grandmothers’ Self-Reported Stress and Satisfaction with Social Support Symposium Paper Presentation Julian Montoro-Rodriguez, Ph.D. Bert Hayslip Jr., Ph.D.

  2. What effects did we find across the 4 week empowerment intervention? • In understanding and interpreting these findings, the following influences bear on the strength and value of these effects: • Smallness of the sample (n =16) influencing the statistical power of our analyses • The selective nature of the sample; sampling bias in terms of SES, gender, level of education, ethnicity (see Table 3) • Generalizability of findings? • As a demonstration project, we lacked a control group against which to compare the intervention • Only immediate post program findings are available • Goal setting may be but one avenue toward grandparent empowerment • Other foci vs. improving communication, stress management, goal setting as a means of empowerment • Goal setting vs. goal implementation as program content

  3. Major Findings (see Tables 1 and 2)Program Impact over 4 Sessions • Improved self-rated stress (p < .05) • Lessened positive affect regarding relationship with GC (p< .05) • Lessened positive beliefs about changing aspects of caregiving for the GC (p < .05): • GMs did report lessened stress as a function of goal setting (empowerment) and the development of assertiveness training in getting social support • The nature of the goal setting process as well as the nature of the goals themselves disrupted the GM-GC relationship, decreased stability/predictability, introduced new routines/time constraints • Lessened stress as a function of goal-setting comes at the cost of restructuring the GM-GC relationship, to which GC react negatively • This argues for a more comprehensive understanding of empowerment in light of the GP-GC dynamic • Greater emphasis on goal implementation, the setting of more realistic goals, differentiating short term vs. long term goals, goals for self vs. GC, relationship goals

  4. Program Impact • Slight increases in social support satisfaction • Findings for goal attainment confidence unchanged, but positive • Goal attainment estimate of success, satisfaction with effort, helpfulness of goal setting in getting social support all evidenced slight declines over 3 sessions • Suggests that goal implementation was not successful and/or estimates of goal setting parameters over 3 sessions need to be examined over a longer time frame • More emphasis in the future on goal implementation, the nature of the goals themselves • Many of the goals set revolve around respite, self-improvement, reducing isolation- these likely take time to implement and are subject to a variety of barriers that need to be ID’d and overcome • Underscores need to manage the demands of caregiving • All estimates of program satisfaction are positive

  5. Program Impact Benefits: • Physical health and social relationships aspects of caregiver strain improved as did positive affect; anxiety lessened, ability to turn off negative thinking increased • Negative interactions with others declined-could reflect benefits of assertiveness training • Intrapersonal and interpersonal gains as a function of program participation Costs: • Contact with friends and kin declined- could reflect increased demands of caregiving/GC relationship management • Satisfaction with caregiving unchanged, as were time dependency and life development aspects of caregiver strain • Confidence in getting respite declined-could reflect lack of implementation training and/or greater demands of caregiving • Distinction between goal setting and goal implementation is necessary- this might produce more positive short term benefits for GM • Emphasis on goals that do not undermine the quality of the GM-GC relationship

  6. Marshalling Social Support for Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren Final Thoughts: • Program Effectiveness • Program Impact: Caregiver versus Grandparent Role • Rethinking Goal Setting and Goal Attainment • Future Research: Pilot Study with Control Group

  7. TABLE 1

  8. TABLE 1 (Continued)

  9. TABLE 2 Positive Beliefs about Change 63.21 58.77 p<.05

  10. TABLE 2 (Continued)

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