title: Grandparents raising grandchildren: the association of grandparents' self-reported use of alcohol and drugs and their emotional well-being.
abstract: The research literature on the emotional well-being of grandparents raising grandchildren has identified an array of factors that predict psychological distress among this population of caregivers. However, little is known about whether grandparents' alcohol and/or other drug (AOD) use among some grandparents may negatively affect their emotional well-being. Moreover, a synthesis of the research literature on mental health and AOD misuse suggests a plausible link between psychological distress and AOD use may exist among some grandparents raising grandchildren. Using a probability sample of grandparents raising their grandchildren, multivariate analyses conducted in this study show that grandparents who misused a drug and used alcohol had lower levels of emotional well-being compared with grandparents who did not use or misuse such substances. Clinical implications concerning the mental health needs of this underserved population of caregivers are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. richardalongoria@aol.com
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Longoria
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*