Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Family Right To Care: Charting The Legal Obstacles, Gerard W. Wallace Esq.

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Numerous state and federal laws govern kinship (non-parental/relative) care of children. Federal laws are mainly concerned with assistance to families and with child welfare. State laws implement federal law and provide more governance in these areas and also almost exclusively govern family custodial issues. Yet, together both federal or state bodies of law do not comprehensively address the range of legal issues that burden kinship families. States and federal laws still need to enact laws and regulations that provide more legal rights and assistance that will empower kinship families to successfully care for children.

In this legal brief, we attempt …

Recognizing Microaggressions: A Framework For Helping Grandfamilies, Loriena Yancura, Christine A. Fruhauf, Heather Greenwood-Junkermeier

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Microaggressions are manifestations of prejudice targeted toward socially marginalized groups. They may take several forms: subtle discriminatory remarks, behavior, or environmental characteristics. In contrast to overt aggressions, microagressions are not easy to detect and often invisible to both perpetrator and recipient. Existing research demonstrates that experiencing microaggressions is harmful to members of stigmatized groups and provides a framework to combat these negative effects. Although most of the literature on microaggressions is focused on groups characterized by minority race and female gender, microagressions might also be experienced by members of grandfamilies, who often have socially marginalized status. Microagressions toward grandfamilies may …

Demographic Profile, Geographic Distribution, Disability Prevalence, And Likelihood Of Being In-Poverty Amongst Grandparents Responsible For Grandchildren, Carlos Siordia, Mary E. Rauktis

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Evidence-based research on Grandparents Responsible for Grandchildren (GRfG) continues to grow in recent decades. This brief report expands global knowledge on custodial grandparents by making use of a large data resource in the United States (US). The specific aim was to delineate the demographic profile, geographic distribution, and prevalence of specific-disabilities for the GRFG population in the US mainland. We also explore how demographic factors are associated with likelihood of being in-poverty. The analysis used data from the 2009-2013 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file. The ACS is a nationally representative, yearly, statistical survey administered …

Wellbeing Among Rural Grandfamilies In Two Multigenerational Household Structures, Melissa A. Barnett, Loriena Yancura, Joe Wilmoth, Yoshie Sano

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Multigenerational households are an understudied type of grandfamily. In rural communities, these households are likely to be economically disadvantaged and underserved. Drawing from a subset (N = 63) of low-income multigenerational households in a multistate research study, Rural Families Speak About Health, the present study compares demographic characteristics, parent and child wellbeing, and family processes in two types of multigenerational household structures: one-parent/grandparent families and two-parent/grandparent families. Research on these multigenerational household configurations is rare despite the potential for different needs, strengths, and services. Results indicate no differences in economic hardship or disadvantage by household type. Children in …

Intersections Of Poverty, Geography, And Custodial Grandparent Caregiving In Appalachia, Deborah L. Phillips, Ben Alexander-Eitzman

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

The purpose of this study is to compare the incidence of custodial grandparenting in Central Appalachia to other areas in Appalachia and the rest of the U.S., to explore how recent economic changes have affected poverty rates of custodial grandparents in all of these areas, and to explore what influences the probability of custodial grandparenting. We hypothesize that the recent economic upheaval of the Great Recession has pressured many families to rely on grandparents to provide care for their grandchildren and that these trends are particularly evident in the Appalachian region due to longstanding historical trends and unique cultural factors. …

Concerns And Supports Of Grandfamilies Using Formal Services: Do They Have The Help They Need?, Susan M. Collins, Christine A. Fruhauf, Kimberly Bundy-Fazioli

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

The objective of this exploratory study was to discover the functional and psychosocial concerns of grandfamilies already receiving support services in their community, and to ask if they had the help they needed. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of 16 grandparents who were raising their grandchildren and were involved with a support group or a grandfamily workshop. Results indicated that grandparents affiliated with formal supports still experience psychosocial concerns (i.e., child’s emotional problems) and functional concerns (i.e., financial strain). Suggestions are included for further development on this measure as derived from the literature, service provider observations, and grandfamily …