Abstract
The accumulation of disruptive family events has a well-established association with adolescent mental health problems. In this study, we investigated whether grandparent involvement serves as a promotive or protective factor for psychological adjustment when adolescents face high levels of family adversity. The sample comprised 536 adolescents (aged 13–15 years) from two schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Data were collected using a self-report survey, and mental health was assessed by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling demonstrated that cumulative proximal family stress was associated with more emotional and conduct problems in adolescents, whereas grandparent involvement was associated with fewer peer and conduct problems and less hyperactivity. The results of a path analysis testing for interaction effects indicated that in high-adversity family environments, grandparent involvement only had a protective effect against peer problems for female adolescents. Nevertheless, grandparent involvement served as a promotive factor for the full sample, compensating for the negative psychological outcomes associated with family risk. The finding that grandparent involvement was associated with better adolescent mental health across all levels of family stress supports a multigenerational approach to intervention in which practitioners work across generations to foster individual, family and community resilience.
Highlights
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We examined links between grandparent involvement and mental health in South African adolescents facing family adversity.
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Family adversity was associated with more conduct and emotional problems in adolescents.
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Grandparent involvement was associated with fewer conduct and peer problems and less hyperactivity in adolescents.
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Grandparent involvement protected female adolescents in high-adversity family environments against peer problems.
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Interventions aimed at supporting families and promoting adolescent mental health may benefit from including grandparents.
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This article is based on the dissertation completed by Sarah A. Yang (née Westwood, 2016). Both authors made substantial contributions to the content of the manuscript. Sarah A. Yang contributed to the data collection, performed the data analysis, and wrote the first draft. Lauren G. Wild conceptualized and designed the study, prepared the materials, and revised and edited the final draft. Both authors approved the submitted manuscript. The authors would like to thank Professor Colin Tredoux, who provided guidance on the statistical analyses, and Jessica Levetan, Katharina Keck, Bianca Burridge and Wade Profe, who helped with the data collection.
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The financial assistance of the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) towards Mrs Yang’s research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at are those of the authors and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF. Dr Wild received financial support for this research from an International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD) Developing Country Fellowship and a Carnegie Research Development Grant.
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Approval was obtained from a research ethics committee of the University of Cape Town and from the Western Cape Education Department. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Participation was voluntary, and all participants provided informed consent.
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Yang, S.A., Wild, L.G. Associations Between Grandparent Involvement and Psychological Difficulties in Adolescents Facing Family Adversity. J Child Fam Stud 31, 1489–1500 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02223-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02223-8