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Cited by 110Intergenerational Family Dynamics and CaregivingAging, Elder Care, and Social IssuesAging, Health, and Disability

Race/ethnic differentials in the health consequences of caring for grandchildren for grandparents

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Chen, Feinian, Mair, Christine A., Bao, Luoman, Yang, Yang Claire·2015·The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
DOI 10.1093/geronb/gbu160PMC PMC4635642
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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The phenomenon of grandparents caring for grandchildren is disproportionately observed among different racial/ethnic groups in the United States. This study examines the influence of childcare provision on older adults' health trajectories in the United States with a particular focus on racial/ethnic differentials. METHOD: Analyzing nationally representative, longitudinal data on grandparents over the age of 50 from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2010), we conduct growth curve analysis to examine the effect of living arrangements and caregiving intensity on older adults' health trajectories, measured by changing Frailty Index (FI) in race/ethnic subsamples. We use propensity score weighting to address the issue of potential nonrandom selection of grandparents into grandchild care. RESULTS: We find that some amount of caring for grandchildren is associated with a reduction of frailty for older adults, whereas coresidence with grandchildren results in health deterioration. For non-Hispanic black grandparents, living in a skipped generation household appears to be particularly detrimental to health. We also find that Hispanic grandparents fare better than non-Hispanic black grandparents despite a similar level of caregiving and rate of coresidence. Finally, financial and social resources assist in buffering some of the negative effects of coresidence on health (though this effect also differs by race/ethnicity). DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that the health consequences of grandchild care are mixed across different racial/ethnic groups and are further shaped by individual characteristics as well as perhaps cultural context.

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  • Factors related to systemic discrimination (e.g., legacies of redlining, housing discrimination, lower wealth accumulation, incarceration) contribute to health disparities between Black and white populations in the United States.

    “as factors related to systemic discrimination (e.g., legacies of redlining, housing discrimination, lower wealth accumulation, incarceration) contribute to health disparities between Black and white populations in the United States (Chen et al., 2015; Epel et al., 2018).”

    From Grandparent Caregiving and Epigenetic Aging among Midlife and Older Adults in the United States (2026) · cites this paper as Chen et al., 2015

    The Discussion and Conclusion (page unavailable) says socioeconomic status partially explains racial and ethnic disparities in grandparent health, and describes Black grandparents’ precarious economic position. It does not identify systemic discrimination—or redlining, housing discrimination, wealth accumulation, or incarceration—as causes of Black–white health disparities. Its findings are also specific to grandparents and caregiving, rather than the broader US populations in the claim. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Chen, F., Mair, C. A., Bao, L., & Yang, Y. C.
Affiliations
  • Maryland Population Research Center (US)
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
ORCID
Venue
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2014-12-06
Volume
70
Issue
5
Pages
793-803
ISSN
  • 1079-5014 (ISSN-L)
  • 1758-5368
DOI
10.1093/geronb/gbu160
PMC
PMC4635642
OpenAlex
W2098764628
Cited by
110
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3
FWCI
16.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Journals of Gerontology Series B (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Maryland Shared Open Access Repository (USMAI Consortium) (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
  • Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (University of Maryland College Park)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (2r24hd050924-06)
  • Maryland Population Research Center, University of Maryland
  • National Institute on Aging (K01AG036745)
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R03HD068453, R24 HD-050924, R24HD041041)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
Keywords
grandparenting, grandchild care, racial and ethnic disparities, older adults' health, frailty, co-residence, living arrangements, skipped-generation households, care intensity, Health and Retirement Study
MeSH terms
Aged, Black or African American, Female, Health Status, Hispanic or Latino, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Residence Characteristics, Socioeconomic Factors, United States, Frail Elderly, Parenting, Intergenerational Relations, Black People, Health Status Disparities

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