title: Review of research on the health of caregiving grandparents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide a critical review of research literature on the health of grandparents raising grandchildren, and identify directions for future research.
  
  
  METHODS
  Approaches used to access the research studies for this review included a comprehensive search using relevant electronic databases and a thorough examination of the references in each published study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All studies but one were published after 1990. Samples consisted primarily of African-American and Caucasian grandmothers in the United States of America. Earlier studies tended to describe health and other related concepts while more recent studies began to examine relationships between concepts. Most of the studies had a cross-sectional design and only one evaluated interventions. Inconsistencies in the results of these studies were prevalent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evaluation studies, longitudinal designs, and more varied study samples including cross-cultural comparisons are needed to advance knowledge about grandparent caregivers' health.
authors.affiliation: Kirkhof School of Nursing, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, USA. grinstel@gvsu.edu
authors.forename: Linda Nicholson
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Grinstead
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leder
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bond
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012107:Research Design