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Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
I am a pediatrician who takes care of an increasing number of children in relative foster care placements with their grandparents. Oftentimes these children have complex developmental and psychosocial problems, and I am concerned about the effects that this stress has on the well-being of their grandparents. Very few resources seem to be available to support the grandparents. Are you aware of any current research on this subject or agencies that may be able to provide assistance?
Thank you for your question.

To start, I would suggest calling AARP or looking at their website. You could also search Google for "Custodial Grandparents-AARP." I know that AARP has sponsored several large-scale studies in this area, and they have links to legal services, etc. One new book that has been highly recommended is Working with Custodial Grandparents, edited by B. Hayslip and J.H. Patrick, Springer Publishing Co., 2003. It includes chapters focusing on psychological distress and physical health problems in grandparents raising grandchildren. You could contact the authors of those chapters if you are interested in any specific subset of children.

 
 
 
 
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