Custodial Grandparent’s Job Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Relationship With Parenting Stress and Mental Health

Abstract

Involuntary job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic adds challenges, especially for custodial grandparents that are taking care of grandchildren. Grandparents are relatively vulnerable, and they need more attention and support when facing the negative impacts of COVID-19. This study analyzed cross-sectional survey data collected from 234 custodial grandparents via Qualtrics Panels in June 2020 in the United States. After using the propensity score weighting adjustment, results from logistic and ordinary least squares regression showed that compared with grandparents that did not lose their job during the pandemic, grandparents that did had more parenting stress and worse mental health. Moderation analysis also showed that social support was a significant moderator of the relationship between job loss and mental health, but not the relationship between job loss and parenting stress. The findings and implications are discussed.

Supporting grandchildren's remote instruction during COVID‐19: Experiences of custodial grandmothers

“…When combined with grandchildren's preexisting mental health diagnoses and academic difficulties, it seems likely that CGMs found themselves in a situation of compounding stress, which may have made remote instruction even more challenging to manage. Emerging research on the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on grandfamilies has connected pandemic‐related stressors to custodial grandparents' mental health and parenting (Wu et al, 2021 ; Xu et al, 2020a ; Xu et al, 2020b ). Our findings build on this work by revealing some of the specific parenting challenges associated with grandchildren's remote instruction.…”

“…These pandemic‐specific stressors intersect with preexisting stressors common among custodial grandparents including parenting stress, psychological distress, social isolation, and relational challenges (Hayslip et al, 2017 ). Indeed, research reveals that, for custodial grandparents, financial hardship and job loss during the pandemic were associated with greater parenting stress and poor mental health (Wu et al, 2021 ; Xu et al, 2020a ). Grandparents' parenting stress and poor mental health during COVID‐19 were also associated with risky parenting (i.e., psychological aggression, corporal punishment, and neglectful parenting; Xu et al, 2020b ).…”

Personas adultas mayores y cuidadores en tiempo de pandemia por COVID-19 en el continente americano: perspectiva desde salud

“…Otras investigaciones ven a las personas adultas mayores y a los cuidadores como una preocupación social, ya que demandan servicios de salud y ayuda de cualquier índole (34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51). Algunas ven la necesidad de investigar más esta etapa de la vida, donde pueden aportar elementos más certeros para el cuidado en la familia y en los ámbitos de servicios de salud, política, sociales y educación (52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60).…”

“…Por otro lado, se evidencia la necesidad de la implementación de planes de acción y generación de políticas en salud enfocadas en la problemática de los países, con el fin de coordinar y organizar sectorial e intersectorialmente la implementación de acciones de promoción de la salud, prevención de la en-fermedad, propagación de la COVID-19 y su potencial pandémico, para el cuidado y bienestar de la población objeto (28,29,41,43,47,50,60,61).…”

“…Además, otra de las recomendaciones brindadas es la de priorizar la seguridad y el cuidado de todos los grupos que corren un mayor riesgo, especialmente los adultos mayores, de manera que haya una provisión mayor de pruebas adicionales, evaluación, apoyo social y un enfoque en las necesidades básicas, así como protección a los trabajadores de atención domiciliaria que los cuidan (29,31,37,38,43,47,50,52,60,61).…”