Depressive Symptoms Among Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: The Impact of Participation in Multiple Roles

Abstract

Using the Health and Retirement Study, this research examines well-being among grandparents raising grandchildren during middle to late life, specifically looking at how other roles in which a grandparent is participating (such as worker, volunteer, parent or caregiver) may influence depressive symptoms among grandparent caregivers. Results indicate that grandparents who have recently begun raising a grandchild experience lower levels of well-being when compared to grandparents who are not raising a grandchild regardless of the grandparent's level of participation in roles beyond that of grandparent caregiver, while grandparents who have been raising a grandchild for longer periods of time seem to benefit from their participation in multiple roles. However, a higher level of participation in outside roles is associated with a decline in well-being among grandparents who stopped raising a grandchild, suggesting that, for these grandparents, participation in multiple roles acted mainly as a stressor, rather than as a resource.

Figure 1

Identification of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in the Health and Retirement Study

Figure 2

Predicted Probability of Depression by Caregiving Status and Participation in Multiple Roles Note: Control variables set equal to sample mean for calculation of predicted probabilities.