A study examining the health perceptions and parenting stressors of parenting African-American grandparents.

The objectives of this study of African-American, parenting grandparents were to examine the antecedents to grandparent parenting, the grandparents' perception of their health status, and their assessment of parenting stress. Thirty-one subjects completed a demographic questionnaire, two questions from the Short form-36-Health Survey, and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Results indicated that the grandparents parented minor grandchildren because of biological parent neglect/abuse, abandonment, mental illness, substance abuse, teen mother, or death of a parent. While most grandparents considered their health to be satisfactory, the grandparents, ages thirty to sixty reported a greater number of health concerns. The PSI identified life stress greater than parenting stress. In conclusion, additional research is needed to identify life stresses that add to the parenting burden, and grandparents' needs to continue parenting.