Well-being of grandparent kinship caregivers: An umbrella review

Objective

This umbrella review sought to develop a comprehensive evidence base of the well-being of grandparent kinship caregivers in order to inform targeted intervention.

Background

Despite acknowledging that grandparents constitute the majority of kinship caregivers globally, practical measures to promote the well-being of grandparent kinship caregivers has not received the required attention in family studies literature.

Method

Four databases were searched (CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Embase) for systematic reviews published between 2012 to 2022. Seven systematic review articles that met the inclusion criteria were synthesized thematically.

Results

Results revealed that grandparent kinship caregivers reported poor outcomes on two crucial domains of well-being: (a) health and mental health, and (b) social limitations, compared to noncaregivers. The negative outcomes were more profound among custodial grandparents, grandmothers, and those providing intensive care (>40 hours per week). In contrast, custodial grandparents reported better physical well-being than noncaregivers, and custodial grandparents in some rural contexts reported better cognitive function and mental well-being. Education, health, and social group interventions were found to be effective in improving the well-being of grandparent kinship caregivers.

Conclusions

In this study we provided comprehensive evidence on the well-being of grandparent kinship caregivers. Findings revealed key adverse physical and health outcomes for grandparent kinship caregivers as well as variations based on grandparents' gender, nature of kinship care arrangement, and intensity of the care.

Implications

The findings suggest the need for health and social group interventions, such as nurse–social worker home visitation programs, to improve the well-being of custodial grandparents.