Excerpt from Abstract

Grandparents play an important role in the upbringing of grandchildren and face increased levels of stress. Using family stress theory, the present study examined the effectiveness  of  service  programs  for  grandparents  raising  grandchildren.  Data  were  collected through focus group interviews and audiotaped from a sample of four custodial grandparents  living  in  Ohio  U.S.A.  To  better  understand  grandparents  that  are  raising  their  grandchildren,  we  asked the  following  questions:  1)  What  support  is  needed  for  grandparents raising grandchildren? 2) At what stage is the support needed: beginning, middle  or  late  stages  of  caregiving?  3)  What  are  grandparent  caregivers’  perceptions  of  service  programs?  The  audiotape  was  transcribed  verbatim  and  analyzed  for  themesrelevant to the research questions. The findings from these questions are examined and implications discussed.