Grandparent Caregiving in Caribbean Latino Families: Correlates of Children's Departure from Care

Abstract

The number and proportion of U.S. children being raised by their grandparents has grown rapidly over the past several decades. A substantial body of research documents the strengths and needs of these families and shows that the prevalence, trajectories, and outcomes of caregiving vary by racial/ethnic group. Yet Latino families have received little attention. Drawing on the stress process model, this paper reports on a four-year panel of 59 urban Latino grandparents and the grandchildren in their care to examine changes in grandparents' health, mental health, social, and economic well-being and grandchildren's special needs; how these factors may affect the departure of children from care; and the disposition of children who leave care. At the four-year follow-up, all grandparent well-being measures had worsened, yet most continued caregiving and many had obtained legal guardianship. Low support, the special needs of children, having fewer unmet needs and high levels of poverty were related to children leaving care. Fully 90% of those who left care were reunited with one or both parents. Others had matured out of care or, in the case of four children, moved in with other relatives. Implications for understanding different trajectories of grandparent caregiving and for service planning and delivery are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• grandparent caregiving
• Latino grandparents
• Hispanic grandparents
• kinship care