Race/Ethnic Differentials in the Health Consequences of Caring for Grandchildren for Grandparents

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxedTextSection"><div class="boxTitle">RESEARCH PROBLEM AND DATA</div>African American and Hispanic grandparents are more likely to care for grandchildren than White grandparents. However, research has not fully investigated race/ethnic differentials in the health consequences of such caregiving for grandparents. Results from a limited number of studies are inconsistent and inconclusive, partly due to the use of small, nonrepresentative samples, but also due to the complex nature of the topic, with different mechanisms operating in opposing directions. For example, do the benefits of grandparenting (e.g., emotional reward and social support) outweigh the negative effects (e.g., stress, physical demand, and financial difficulty) or vice versa? Do minority grandparents' poorer health outcomes reflect their initial socioeconomic disadvantage or does a lack of financial resources compound the stress of caregiving? Finally, do minority grandparents' stronger emphasis on family ties and greater support from family act as a buffer that increases resilience to strain? Analyzing nationally representative, longitudinal data on grandparents older than 50 years from the Health and Retirement Study (1998–2010) (<a href="#F1" class="reflinks">Figure 1</a>), we examine the effects of living arrangements and caregiving intensity on older adults' health trajectories, measured by changing health (an index of frailty that includes self-reports of chronic illness, disabilities, depression, overall health, and obesity) in race/ethnic subsamples.Figure 1.Predicted frailty index for race/ethnic subgroups.</div></span>

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