Grandparents' Mental Health and Lived Experiences while Raising Their Grandchildren at the Forefront of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Understanding grandparents' lived experiences and healthy aging is essential to designing efficient, effective, and safe services to support a family structure in which grandparents care for their grandchildren. However, no study to date has explored this concept in an Arab and Muslim country d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of gerontological social work 2022-07, Vol.65 (5), p.512-528
Main Authors: Zakari, Nazik M.A., Hamadi, Hanadi Y., Bailey, Chloe E., Jibreel, Ebtesam A.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
COVID-19
Family structure
Grandchildren
Grandparent-Grandchild relationships
Grandparents
Intergenerational relationships
Intervention
Kinship care
Medical personnel
Mental health services
Pandemics
raising grandchildren
Respite care
Social distance
Social isolation
Social well being
stress
Support groups
Support services
Well being
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Summary:Understanding grandparents' lived experiences and healthy aging is essential to designing efficient, effective, and safe services to support a family structure in which grandparents care for their grandchildren. However, no study to date has explored this concept in an Arab and Muslim country during a pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine grandparents' experiences raising their grandchildren to provide recommendations for needed mental health interventions during and after COVID-19. We used a phenomenological approach to gain a detailed and in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of 15 grandparents caring for their grandchildren. This study shows the need for support service interventions (support groups, health professional support, and respite care) for grandparents in Saudi Arabia, especially during global crises like COVID-19, that enhance social distance and social isolation. Raising grandchildren affects the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of the grandparents.
ISSN:0163-4372
1540-4048
DOI:10.1080/01634372.2021.1983684