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Recruitment And Retention Of Aa Gp.2016.Pdf, Deborah M. Whitley

Deborah M. Whitley

Whitley_Et_Al-2016-Journal_Of_Clinical_Psychology.Pdf, Deborah M. Whitley

Deborah M. Whitley

Depression, Social Support And Mh. Ijahd-2016-Whitley-166-87.Pdf, Deborah M. Whitley

Deborah M. Whitley

Health Characteristics Of Solo Gp Caregivers - Whitley, Fuller-T. Brennenstuhl.Pdf, Deborah M. Whitley

Deborah M. Whitley

Legislators' Perceptions About Poverty: Views From The Georgia General Assembly, Elizabeth L. Beck, Deborah M. Whitley, James L. Wolk

Deborah M. Whitley

This study sought to explore legislators perspectives about causes of poverty. Members of the Georgia General Assembly rated the importance of 10 behavioral and structural explanations of poverty, and indicated whether they thought poor women and children would be better served under AFDC or TANF. Whereas all groups of legislators found behavioral explanations moderately important, there was significant variation by race, gender, and political party about the importance of structural explanations of poverty. Support for several structural explanations of poverty correlated with a preference for AFDC, but no correlations were found with behavioral explanations. This study holds implications for affecting …

Grandmother Kinship Care Providers: Predictors Of Elevated Psychological Distress, Deborah M. Whitley

Deborah M. Whitley

Most children in kinship care with grandmothers in the U.S. have been abandoned or maltreated. The challenges these caregivers encounter often include poverty, social isolation, and diminished health. These factors may hinder the grandmother’s ability to provide a supportive family environment. The purpose of the present study was to determine levels of psychological distress in African American caregiving grandmothers and identify predictors of increased distress in African American custodial grandmothers. We hypothesized that diminished grandmother health, family resources and support, as well as increased child behavior problems, will predict psychological distress.

Psychological Distress In African American Grandmothrs Raising Grandchildren: The Contribution Of Child Behavior Problems, Physical Health, And Family Resources, Susan Kelley, Deborah Whitley, Peter Campos

Deborah M. Whitley

Diminished psychological health has been identified among caregiving grandmothers. The intent of this investigation was to examine psychological distress levels, as well as their predictors, in a sample of 480 caregiving African American grandmothers, mean age 56 years. Almost 40% (39.8%) of participants had clinically elevated psychological distress scores. Results of hierarchical multiple regression indicated that internalizing and externalizing child behavior problems, poor grandmother physical health, younger age of grandmother, and lack of family resources predicted 31% of the variance in psychological distress. Results provide direction for nursing interventions aimed at enhancing the psychological well-being of caregiving grandmothers.

African American Caregiving Grandmothers: Results Of An Intervention To Improve Health Indicators And Health Promotion Behaviors, Susan Kelley, Deborah M. Whitley, Peter Campos

Deborah M. Whitley

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of an intervention to improve the health of grandmothers raising grandchildren. A pre- and post-test design was employed with 504 African American grandmother participants. The intervention included monthly home-based visitation by registered nurses (RNs) and social workers, participation in support groups and parenting classes, referrals for legal services, and early intervention services for children with special needs. The Health Risk Appraisal was used to assess health indicators and health promotion behaviors. A comparison of pre- and post-test scores indicated significant (p < .002) changes in the desired direction for a number of health indicators and health promotion behaviors, including blood pressure, annual routine cancer screenings, frequency of weekly exercise, and improved dietary intake, as well as participants’ perception of their health and life satisfaction. No improvements were observed in the proportion of participants who were obese or overweight.

Behavior Problems In Children Raised By Grandmothers: The Role Of Caregiver Distress, Family Resosurces, And The Home Environment, Susan Kelley, Deborah Whitley, Peter Campos

Deborah M. Whitley

Over the past few decades there has been a dramatic increase in children being raised by grandparents due to a variety of factors including child maltreatment, parental abandonment, substance abuse, and incarceration. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent of behavior problems in children being raised by grandmothers and to determine factors in their current environment that are related to child behavior problems. The study draws on McCubbin's resiliency model of family stress, adjustment and adaptation. The sample comprised of 230 children ages 2 to 16 years who were being raised by grandmothers in parentabsent homes. The …

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Call To Action, Deborah M. Whitley, Susan J. Kelley

Deborah M. Whitley

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), in partnership with the Administration on Aging (AoA) in Region IV, has demonstrated its commitment to supporting vulnerable families by undertaking a leadership role to establish a network of services for grandparents raising grandchildren. Beginning in 2002, the southeastern offices of ACF and AoA collaborated with federal, state and local public welfare, academic, and community service agencies in Georgia to form a provider consortium to identify the needs of grandparent-headed families, and to develop and execute a service delivery plan to address their needs. As a result, the focus of this paper describes …

Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren: Are They At Increased Risk Of Health Problems, Deborah Whitley, Susan Kelley

Deborah M. Whitley

Many grandparents faced with the need to raise their grandchildren have health risks that could destabilize any family structure established for the child. This is especially problematic for grandparents of color who have higher health risk factors than their white counterparts. This article describes the physical and mental health status and behaviors of 100 African American grandmothers who are the primary caretakers for their grandchildren. The findings suggest the physical functioning of the grandmothers is at a level that could jeopardize the quality of life with their grandchildren. In spite of their diminished physical capacity, the grandmothers reported that their …