TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-reported Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Custodial Grandmothers
T2 - Frequencies, Patterns, and Correlates
AU - Smith, Gregory Carl
AU - Dolbin-MacNab, Megan
AU - Infurna, Frank
AU - Webster, Britney
AU - Musil, Carol
AU - Castro, Saul
AU - Crowley, Daniel Max
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2023/7
Y1 - 2023/7
N2 - Given the scarce past research on custodial grandparents’ early life circumstances, we investigated frequencies, patterns, and predictors of 14 adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) reported by 355 custodial grandmothers (CGMs). Predominant ACEs were bullying (54.6%), verbal abuse (51.5%), physical abuse (45.4%), and living with a substance abuser (41.1%). Only 11% of CGMs reported 0 ACEs, whereas 52.4% reported >4. Latent class analyses yielded three classes of ACE exposure: minimal (54.1%), physical/emotional abuse (25.9%), and complex (20.0%). Age was the only demographic factor related to ACE class, with the complex class being younger than the other two. MANCOVAs with age as a covariate revealed that different ACE profiles have unique impacts on CGMs’ physical and psychological well-being. We conclude that ACEs are highly prevalent among CGMs and a serious public health concern. Future research addressing ACEs among CGMs is critical in order to support these caregivers and promote resilience in custodial grandfamilies.
AB - Given the scarce past research on custodial grandparents’ early life circumstances, we investigated frequencies, patterns, and predictors of 14 adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) reported by 355 custodial grandmothers (CGMs). Predominant ACEs were bullying (54.6%), verbal abuse (51.5%), physical abuse (45.4%), and living with a substance abuser (41.1%). Only 11% of CGMs reported 0 ACEs, whereas 52.4% reported >4. Latent class analyses yielded three classes of ACE exposure: minimal (54.1%), physical/emotional abuse (25.9%), and complex (20.0%). Age was the only demographic factor related to ACE class, with the complex class being younger than the other two. MANCOVAs with age as a covariate revealed that different ACE profiles have unique impacts on CGMs’ physical and psychological well-being. We conclude that ACEs are highly prevalent among CGMs and a serious public health concern. Future research addressing ACEs among CGMs is critical in order to support these caregivers and promote resilience in custodial grandfamilies.
KW - caregivers
KW - custodial grandparent
KW - grandparenthood
KW - health
KW - mental health
KW - physical health
KW - risk
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132393458&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85132393458&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/00914150221106096
DO - 10.1177/00914150221106096
M3 - Article
C2 - 35711151
AN - SCOPUS:85132393458
SN - 0091-4150
VL - 97
SP - 81
EP - 110
JO - International Journal of Aging and Human Development
JF - International Journal of Aging and Human Development
IS - 1
ER -