GRANDPARENTS: Supporting Parents and Grandchildren James Kirby & Matthew Sanders The Parenting and Family Support Centre School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 1. Background 4. What is Triple P? Grandparenting context • • • • • Grandparents are the biggest single providers of both formal and informal child care between birth and 12 years of age in Australia1 In Australia, there are approximately 661, 200 children receiving informal child care from their grandparents, which equates to 20% of all Australian children1 Grandparents are spending on average 12 hours of care a week in child care arrangements1 Very little is currently known on how grandparents cope with this newly found role, what challenges they are presented with, and what is the most effective way to intervene if intervention is required2 The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program is a multi-level preventatively oriented parenting program aimed at preventing and reducing childhood emotional and behavioural problems by promoting parental skill, knowledge and confidence5. It is based on the following five core principles, has a strong evidence-base, and has been modified to different populations such as children with autism, teenagers, and indigenous families6. 1. Safe engaging environment This study: • The purpose of this study was to conduct a series of focus groups to discover the critical components necessary to include in a program for grandparents who care for their grandchildren. The aim of the focus groups was to ascertain what grandparents view as the most important areas in which they need assistance in their role as caregivers for their grandchildren. 5. Taking care of yourself as a parent 2. Method 2. Positive learning environment Core Principles Sample • • 14 grandparents (11 females, 3 males), aged 51-76 (M=60.14) were recruited through advertisements in local newspapers, magazines, radio, and letters that were sent to grandparent organisations Focus groups were transcribed verbatim and were analysed through an inductive thematic analysis approach3 4. Realistic Expectations This study: • • • Family Background Questionnaire4 The focus groups were asked: 1. What do you enjoy most about caring for your grandchildren? 2. What do you find challenging or difficult about caring for your grandchildren? 3. Does caring for your grandchild affect your relationship with the parents? 4. What would you like to see in a program that aims at assisting grandparents in their role? Inter-rater reliability for key themes with independent coder к = .88 (p<.001), 95% CI [.76, 1.0] How to be a parent to a parent Taking care of yourself as a grandparent Being a grandparent is rewarding Grandparenting experience Grandparents want parenting information and support • • • The thematic analysis revealed six key themes: How to manage grandchild misbehaviour 5. Conclusions • 3. Results • Difficulty knowing what to do with different child behaviour problems • “That was one of the hardest things, was me taking my little granddaughter shopping” (56 year-old grandmother) • Wanting to support parents, but not wanting to interfere either • “Yeah you got be careful of telling them what to do as parents, my daughterin-law says that, and even my daughter does. But I can remember saying the same things to my Mum” (63 year-old grandmother) • The need to break away from caregiving role without guilt • “I must admit I feel, if we went away for 4 or 5 weeks overseas or something like that, I’d have a guilt complex” (69 year-old grandfather) • Grandparenting is rewarding as you see both parent and grandchild growth and development • “But what I enjoy the most is that they run to me and give me the biggest hug! Huggles you know because we call them huggles , because it’s just that emotion you can’t describe” (67 year-old grandmother) • Having the experience of being a parent before • “You’ve had the experience with your own kids. And you’ve always got that to look back on “ (63 year-old grandmother) • Wanting additional information and support to cope with role • “I would like it to be more publicised if there was information out there and where you could go for it….I mean where do you go, where do you go for the information? “(57 year –old grandmother) Contact: James Kirby, [email protected] 3. Assertive discipline Grandparents do want a program to help assist them in their role The current evidence-based Triple P-Positive Parenting Program needs to be adapted to suit a population of grandparents A consumer perspective will be adopted whereby the Triple P program will be modified based on the key themes identified by the focus groups The program will include new modules such as, ‘How to be a Parent to a Parent’, which will involve strategies aimed at communication, problem solving, and how to support parents without interfering 6. References 1. Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS]. (2006, Re-issue). Child care, Australia, June 2005 (Catalogue No. 4402). Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2. Roberto, K.A., Qualls, S.H. (2003). Intervention strategies for grandparents raising grandchildren: Lessons learned from the caregiving literature. In B. Hayslip & J.H. Patrick (Eds.), Working with custodial grandparents (pp. 1327). New York: Springer Publishing Company. 3. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. 4. Zubrick, S. R., Ward, K. A., Silburn, S. R., Lawrence, D., Williams, A. A., Blair, E., Robertson, D., & Sanders, M. R. (2005). Prevention of child behavior problems through universal implementation of a group behavioral family intervention. Prevention Science, 6, 287–304. 5. Sanders, M.R. (2008). The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program as a public health approach to strengthening parenting. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(4), 506-517. 6. Sanders, M.R., Markie-Dadds, C., & Turner, K.M.T. (2003). Theoretical, scientific and clinical foundations of the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program: A population approach to the promotion of parenting competence. Parenting Research and Practice Monograph, 1, 1-21. “We are 76 now and it is hard work. But we wouldn’t miss it for the world. “ (76 year-old grandmother).