Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Social Work

Advisor

Alice Yick

Abstract

The Appalachian region has experienced a substantial increase in the number of grandparent-headed households providing care to grandchildren. Custodial parenting is not a typical responsibility for many grandparents and can be challenging. The specific problem addressed in this research study was the high level of stress experienced by many custodial grandparents. The theoretical foundation of the current study was based on Selye’s stress theory, which was introduced in 1936 and examined biological stress that he referred to as “the syndrome of being sick.” The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, and correlational study was to examine the predictive relationship that custodial grandparents’ use of family resources (formal, e.g., medical arrangements and financial) and family support (informal) has on parental stress. The research question focused an association between perceptions of family support, adequacy of family resources, and parental stress levels in grandparent caregivers after controlling for grandparents’ age. A total of 81 participants completed surveys using SurveyMonkey and Selye’s stress theory and a quantitative correlational design were used to answer the research question. The main finding was that the level of family support of participants significantly predicts their level of parental stress. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. It is recommended that future research includes conducting a longitudinal study to further examine the complexities of family support and using alternative methods for participant recruitment to obtain a more diverse study population. Social workers and social work program administrators might consider tailoring interventions and screening tools targeted to custodial grandparents that take into account parental stress and relational dynamics for social work practice and positive social change.

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