New Article Details Recommendations to Assist Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

ATLANTA—Across the United States, thousands of grandparents are raising their grandchildren due to parents who are emotionally or physically unavailable. While the arrangement can be emotionally beneficial to both, grandparents and their grandchildren face serious and often invisible health and developmental challenges, according to Susan J. Kelley, professor emerita of nursing at Georgia State University.

“Grandfamilies are doing heroic work, but we must stop expecting them to do it alone—especially in the face of trauma, economic hardship, and health disparities,” said Kelley, whose academic career has centered on researching various aspects of child maltreatment, including multigenerational families where grandparents are raising grandchildren.

In a new article reviewing 40 years of data in GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy, Kelley details how caregiving stress, demographic disadvantage and unaddressed trauma intersect to create elevated health risks for grandparents, while their grandchildren—many of whom have experienced adverse childhood experiences—are more likely to face emotional and behavioral challenges.

Custodial grandparents have higher rates of depression, anxiety and chronic illness than non-caregiving peers. Custodial grandchildren often have a history of trauma, such as parental substance abuse or incarceration, that contributes to behavior issues, developmental delays and learning difficulties.

“It’s not just about who's raising the child, it’s about the trauma that brought them there,” Kelley said. “Many children are already struggling with emotional distress, and we often overlook how those early wounds shape their growth and development.”

Kelley also emphasizes that intervention works. Studies show that interventions focused on strengthening protective factors, such as social support, self-care, access to healthcare and financial stability, have improved both physical and mental health in grandparents and grandchildren.

“When grandparents are supported, their grandchildren thrive,” Kelley notes. “We’re not just lifting one generation, we’re lifting two.”

Read the article.