title: Depression, Social Support, and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis in African American Custodial Grandmothers.
abstract: Custodial grandparents raising grandchildren experience intense levels of stress that can lead to depression and other forms of psychological distress. Drawing on a coping model of family stress, adjustment, and adaptation, we explored the relationship between depression and mental health quality of life mediated by social support and moderated by grandparent's age. The sample consisted of 667 African American custodial grandmothers, dichotomized into two age groupings, ≤55 (n = 306) and 55 + (n = 361). All grandmothers participated in a 12-month support intervention. The prospective analysis revealed social support was a mediator in the association between depressive symptoms and mental health quality of life for older African American grandmothers; however, this same relationship did not hold for their younger counterparts. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA dwhitley@gsu.edu.
authors.forename: Deborah M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Whitley
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kelley
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences/Grady Health System, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Dorian A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lamis
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D000066502:Grandparents / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support
keywords: grandmothers raising grandchildren; grandparents; mediation analysis; psychological distress