A Four-Factor Social Support Model to Mediate Stressors Experienced by Children Raised by Grandparents

Abstract

Increasing numbers of children are being raised by grandparents (CRBG). Grandparents provide a familial connection to these children, yet they tend to experience stressors that limit their effective functioning as surrogate parents. The children also experience stress that attenuates psychosocial well-being. In this article, the phenomenon of CRBG is described and social support is advanced as a theoretical framework to guide the development of prevention and intervention services. The article contributes to the theoretical and applied knowledge base as perhaps the first scholarly work that conceptualizes a specific four-factor social support model to mediate the school-related risk of CRBG and to promote their psychosocial well-being.

KEYWORDS:

• children raised by grandparents
• social support
• school adjustment