Martha R. Crowther - US grants

DESCRIPTION: (adapted from the application). Historically, African American grandparents have assisted in the care of children. Today, many grandparents have been forced into the role of surrogate parent for reasons which include teen pregnancy, death and substance abuse of a parent. Grandparents who are primary caregivers for their grandchildren (compensatory grandparents) struggle with setting priorities and deciding how to divide their time, energy, and financial resources. More than 39% of all Black children live in grandparents headed households with no parent present. This is compared to 25% of White children and 23% Hispanic/Latino children. Yet very little is known about the impact of caregiving on the roles and activities of grandparents, and their psychological and physical health, and subjective well-being (SWB). The proposed study is a one-year cross-sectional, case control investigation of the factors affecting the health and well-being of African American grandparents. A sample of 120 non-institutionalized African American grandparents will be recruited for this project. Two case groups will be included: (1) grandparents raising their grandchildren due to the crack / cocaine use of their children; and, (2) grandparents raising their grandchildren for reasons other than the substance use of their children. After meeting eligibility criteria, one testing session will be done which will take approximately two hours. Participants will be interviewed and asked to fill out standardized questionnaires. The scales were chosen to capture the sociodemographics, roles and activities, and health and well-being of the grandparents. Multiple regression analyses will be used to draw conclusions and path analysis for presentation purposes. Demographic characteristics such as age of the grandparent, number of children cared for, and ages of the grandchildren will be adjusted in the regression analyses. The proposed study differs from most caregiving studies which examine the role of caregiving on persons taking care of older individuals; this study focuses on the growing problem of grandparents who have primary caregiving responsibilities for children. Therefore, this would be an opportunity to examine caregiving in an emerging context. Each participant will be tested in a neutral location chosen by the interviewer and the participant. Therefore, the performance sites will most often be one of the following: the participant's home, an office at Duke University Medical Center, or the participant's place of employment. The interviews will all be conducted in North Carolina in one of the following cities: Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Burlington, Chapel Hill, Cary, Carrboro, High Point and Winston Salem (these cities comprise the Triangle and Piedmont areas of North Carolina).

This proposal is in response to PAR-02-049 to reduce health disparities among older persons and populations by conducting research to disentangle the effects of socio-economic status, social and environmental factors, health behaviors, and race and ethnicity on health. There has been a steady increase in the number of Afi'ican American custodial grandparents. Many grandparent caregivers experience stress, decreased social and economic well-being and reduced physical health as a result of caregiving. As interest in this area grows, questions as to methods grandparents use to cope with the stress ofcaregiving increase. There is a paucity of data available on the use of religious and spiritual practices among grandparents who raise their grandchildren. Preliminary results suggest that Afi'ican American custodial grandparents are very religious and spiritual, and that religiosity and spirituality may serve as coping mechanisms for grandparents who are primary caregivers for their grandchildren. Research in the area of cognition and aging suggests that there may be differences in the cognitive abilities of those actively involved in social activities. Preliminary results suggest that older African Americans that gave support have higher levels of everyday problem solving abilities. The primary aim of this study is to examine the impact of the social activities many custodial grandparents engage in which include religious activities and activities surrounding raising their grandchildren as a protective factor against the stressors associated with caregiving and a method to enhance their cognitive abilities. While designed primarily to assess the relation between the stressors of custodial grandparenting, religion/spirituality and cognition, the proposed study has clinical and policy implications. Clinically, the results of the proposed study could help identify topics to be addressed in grandparent caregiver support groups, such as problem solving skills and coping skills. It will also aid in assessing the types of practical skills needed to provide care for other. In the realm of policy, the results of the current study could identify the areas of concern for grandparent caregivers, such as obtaining access to medical care for their grandchildren. The research team includes the principal investigator and the consultant. The investigators have prior experience, publications, and preliminary data on working with older African Americans.

The Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) is a collaborative partnership of four unique. Southern institutions with complementary strengths: Morehouse School of Medicine, Tuskegee University, University of Alabama, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The primary objectives of the Deep South RCMAR Community Liaison Core [CLC] are to educate, train, and mentor Scholars in theory-based approaches to engaging older African American in health-related research, assist RCMAR Scholars in recruiting older African Americans to their research studies, and to build a sustainable infrastructure that will generate and disseminate new knowledge regarding the science of recruitment and retention. The specific aims of the Deep South RCMAR CLC are to: (1) Work collaboratively with the Investigator Development Core (IDC) to educate, train, and mentor RCMAR Scholars regarding the theory and approach to community engagement and assist RCMAR Scholars in recruiting older African Americans in their research studies; (2) Advance scientific knowledge in the area of recruitment and retention of older urban and rural African Americans by empirically testing recruitment and retention strategies developed in partnership with community members; (3) Expand capacity for community-academic partnerships to support the recruitment and retention of older urban and rural African Americans; and (4) Disseminate research findings to the scientific community and the communities we serve. We will achieve these aims through mentorship of RCMAR Scholars, linkage of Scholars with established investigators conducting community-based research, development and testing of recruitment strategies developed in concert with community members, and focused community and institutional capacity building. The attainment of our aims will create a state-of-the art infrastructure that will train RCMAR Scholars in the science of recruitment and retention, foster long-term collaborative partnerships with the community, and create a sustainable and efficient method to generate new knowledge and disseminate research findings relevant to minority aging to the scientific community and the communities that we serve.

Project Summary/Abstract ? Community Liaison and Recruitment Core The Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) is a collaborative of four unique Southern institutions with complementary strengths: The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Morehouse School of Medicine, Tuskegee University, and The University of Alabama. The primary objectives of the Community Liaison and Recruitment Core (CLRC) are to (1) educate, train, and mentor Scientists in theory- based approaches to engaging older African Americans (AAs) in health-related research, (2) assist RCMAR Scientists in recruiting older AAs into their research studies, and (3) build a sustainable infrastructure that will generate and disseminate new knowledge regarding the science of recruitment and retention. Our approach to recruitment and retention draws upon research that addresses the role of culture in promoting health among older AAs. Older AAs rely, to a greater extent, on their minority segregated communities, their cultural values, and their kinship systems to receive health information. In addition to family and extended kinship networks, older AAs place high value on their religious beliefs and practices. Because of this, recruitment and retention endeavors should reflect this rich cultural fabric and employ strategies that are theory-based and culturally relevant. In this application, we build upon our existing rural and urban community-based infrastructure that has fostered community capacity for active engagement in clinical research and has served as a catalyst to increase participation of older AAs in health-related research studies. We envision continued mutually beneficial engagement, fostering opportunities both for the CLRC and RCMAR Scientists to solicit community input on the development of potential research questions and for community members to enjoy enhanced access to state-of-the-art clinical research focused on older AAs. To accomplish these broader goals, we propose the following specific aims for the Community Liaison and Recruitment Core of the Deep South RCMAR: (1) Work collaboratively with the Research Education Component (REC) to educate, train, and mentor RCMAR Scientists regarding the theory and approach to community engagement and assist RCMAR Scientists in recruiting older AAs to their research studies; (2) Advance scientific knowledge in the area of recruitment and retention of older urban and rural AAs by empirically testing recruitment and retention strategies developed in partnership with community members; (3) Expand capacity for community-academic partnerships to support the recruitment and retention of older urban and rural AAs; and (4) Disseminate research findings to the scientific community and the communities we serve. Through the activities of the CLRC, we expect that RCMAR Scientists will continue to have access to evidence-based recruitment and retention tools for both urban and rural older AAs, and realize enhanced participation of older AAs, greater community ?buy-in? to research projects, and clearer routes of dissemination and intervention sustainability.