Custodial grandparenting: stresses, coping skills, and relationships with grandchildren.

This cross-sectional study compared three groups of custodial grandparents, those raising problematic grandchildren, those raising "normal" grandchildren, and noncustodial grandparents to identify the unique challenges and expectations faced by custodial grandparents due to their nontraditional roles while attempting to disentangle grandparental role demands from child-specific problems as sources of distress. Those grandparents raising grandchildren demonstrating neurological, physical, emotional, or behavioral problems exhibited the most distress, the most disruption of roles, and the most deteriorated grandparent-grandchild relationships. Although custodial grandparents raising apparently normal grandchildren demonstrated less distress, less disruption of roles, and less deterioration of the grandparent-grandchild relationship than those grandparents raising grandchildren displaying problems, in these respects, they still demonstrated higher such levels than did traditional grandparents.

Custodial grandparenting: new roles for middle-aged and older adults.

An overview of grandparenting in light of changing demographics, family composition, and intergenerational dynamics is presented, as well as a review of custodial grandparenting which is impacted not only by these changes, but also by factors unique to this role. Research to date suggests that the demands of custodial grandparenting may be harmful to the psychosocial adjustment of those raising grandchildren and that such persons may be particularly in need of mental health services, especially if they are caring for problem grandchildren. However, such work also suggests that there are nevertheless many strengths and rewards associated with raising a grandchild later in life. The implications of these stressful demands on middle-aged and older persons' adjustment and life satisfaction are discussed, as are methodological issues in such research as well as future directions work in this area might take.

Irrational beliefs and depressive symptoms among younger and older adults: a cross-sectional comparison.

The present study explored age differences in the expression of depression. Such differences were quite apparent. Among 118 young adults and 107 community-residing elderly individuals, it was found that in the young adult groups, cognitive belief factors labeled "externality/control" and "dependency/emotionality" were associated with both affective and cognitive aspects of depression, but not somatic depressive symptoms over and above the influence of sociodemographic factors. In contrast, among older adults, a cognitive belief factor labeled "cognitive-emotional rigidity/dependency" was uniquely associated with both affective and somatic depressive symptoms. Additionally, a second cognitive factor, labeled "adaptation/internal control" defined in terms of the absence of irrational thinking about adaptation and control, was negatively related to somatic depressive symptoms. For each sample, poorer health was associated with greater depressive symptomatology. While these findings generally tend to support a cognitive view of depression in adulthood, they also underscore the importance of cognitions that may be adaptive which mitigate distress among older persons.

Idiographic assessment of the self in the aged: a case for the use of the Q-sort.

Literature bearing on the use of the Q-sort in gerontological research is discussed. It is argued that the measurement of self-concept and the design of outcome measures with elderly clients should be rooted in a perspective emphasizing multiple, interactive determinants of life-span development; increases in intraindividual variability/interindividual differences with age; ecological validity; and a growing concern for the practical utility and acceptability of nontraditional counseling and psychotherapy and the aged. Suggestions for the development and use of the Q-sort in evaluating intervention-oriented efforts from within such a perspective on the self in old age and on outcome research with elderly clients are offered.