Support Groups for Grandparent Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Delays

Grandparent caregivers of children with developmental disabilities and delays

Support Groups for Grandparent Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Delays provide information on: 1) financial issues, 2) guardianship, 3) respite care, 4) emotional support, and 5) problems interacting with multiple social service systems, including accessing health care, educational supports and housing.

Philip McCallion

• Email: philip.mccallion@temple.edu
• Phone: (518) 442-5347

Publicly available information indicates there is some training available for this program. See contact info.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

"What is included in the Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research section?"

• McCallion, P., Janicki, M. P., & Kolomer, S. R. (2004).

  Controlled evaluation of Support Groups for Grandparent Caregivers for Children with Developmental Disabilities and Delays. American Association on Mental Retardation, 109(5), 352–361. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ742643

  
  

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Participants: 97

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — Mean=60 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — 79% African American
  • Gender — 94% Female
  • Status —

    Participants were grandparents caring for children with developmental delays.

  Location/Institution: New York City

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a support group intervention for grandparents (Support Groups for Grandparent Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Delays) caring for children with developmental disabilities. Participants were randomly assigned to Support Groups for Grandparent Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Delays or wait-list control conditions. Measures utilized include the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CESD), the Family Empowerment Scale, and the Caregiving Mastery Scale. Results indicate that significant reductions in symptoms of depression and increases in sense of empowerment and caregiving mastery were found for the Support Groups for Grandparent Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Delays group. Limitations include lack of generalizability due to few grandfathers, persons of other ethnic backgrounds, and lack of variation in SES; reliance on self-reported measures; and length of follow-up.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 3 and 6 months.

There are currently no references available for Support Groups for Grandparent Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Delays.