Kinship Care

A relative caregiver (commonly called a kinship caregiver) is rearing about 10 percent of children in the United States. While relative caregivers are typically a child’s grandparent, they can also be other relatives (e.g., aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins) or fictive kin (e.g., godparents). The most prevalent care arrangement is classified as informal, denoting an agreement voluntarily brokered between a child’s parent and relative caregivers. However, more commonly discussed in the literature is formal care, where a public child welfare entity has intervened in establishing safeguards for a child, resulting in court action that designates a child a ward of the state and authorizes placement with a relative caregiver. This dichotomous classification involves more nuanced typologies when considering the voluntary versus involuntary nature of agreements and the public versus private auspices under which they fall. For example, a child could be in an informal, private kinship care arrangement brokered by a public child welfare entity. Such distinctions are important not just for classification but because they are often associated with differential levels of support, financial provisions, public oversight, and outcomes (e.g., child well-being, permanency). While typologies vary, there are common reasons why children come to be reared by relatives, including child maltreatment, parental incarceration, physical or mental illness, addiction, death, or abandonment. For children removed from parental care for maltreatment, placement with kin tends to be preferred for most public child welfare agencies. Demographically, Black and Native children are most likely to be reared by kin. Caregivers tend to be women, unmarried, of color, and economically disadvantaged, with an average age of fifty. Kinship caregiver experiences differ, but most report satisfaction with the role and a sense of self-efficacy from ensuring that their relative’s child is safe, nurtured, feels loved, and remains connected to family. Although kinship care is considered a protective factor because children experience more favorable outcomes (e.g., stability) than their counterparts do, many caregivers report being under resourced and experiencing high stress levels. Likewise, many kinship caregivers lack knowledge and direction about legal issues, resources, and pathways to support. Safeguarding children and promoting their well-being is of paramount interest to those involved in kinship care. More recent research and state and federal laws recognize that to advance child well-being, financial provisions, services, and supports must be in place for children and caregivers. Despite significant gains in the past twenty years, the literature, well-supported programs and interventions, and policy related to kinship care remains inchoate.

Predictors of Caregiver Burden of Patients with Alzheimer Disease Attending Day-Care Centres

Nowadays, there are plenty of programs and resources to prevent caregiver burden of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In spite of that, many caregivers suffer high levels of burden and stress, which leads to an earlier institutionalization of patients. This study aimed to explore the predictors of burden in relative caregivers of patients attending day-care centers and the moderating role of caregiver kinship in these associations. A sample of a hundred and two patient–caregiver dyads was recruited. Burden was measured with a Zarit Burden Interview. Measures of patients’ cognition, insight, depression, behavioral disturbances, functional ability and overall physical health were considered as predictors. We found that apathy, irritability and delusions and, patients’ mobility are the main determinants of caregivers’ burden. The strength of relationship between delusions and irritability was higher in spouse caregivers. Interventions to reduce burden should be adapted to the specific needs of a particular type caregiver.

ADHD in Children

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most common neurobehavioral disorders presenting for treatment in children and adolescents. ADHD is often chronic with prominent symptoms and impairment spanning into adulthood. During the past decade, epidemiological studies have documented high rates of comorbid conditions among individuals with ADHD. In the absence of adequate identification of its comorbidities and secondary symptoms, it has an impact on the behavioural and academic outcomes in the long run. Research highlights the psycho educational effectiveness that focused on the relative/caregivers of ADHD as better understanding and knowledge of the disorder improves treatment adherence, quality of life, and decreased symptoms of ADHD. Therefore, the chapter intends to throw light on the classification of ADHD, its assessment, and psychological management for better outcomes in children.

Predicting Caregiver Strain to Improve Supports for the Caregivers of Children With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Caregivers of children/youth with emotional and behavioral disorders often can experience significant strain associated with the day-to-day care of their children, and reducing strain can bring tremendous advantages to children, caregivers, and families. This study examines several predictors of caregiver strain hypothesized to be related to caring for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Specifically, children’s symptoms, child and caregiver demographics, caregiver mental health, and caregiver relationship to child were examined to better understand both objective and subjective strain among a sample of families participating in a system of care in southeast Indiana. Regression analyses demonstrated that children’s externalizing symptoms are the strongest predictor for both objective strain and subjective strain. Moreover, caregivers who had experienced mental health issues reported higher levels of subjective externalized strain; biological parents tend to experience higher subjective internalized strain than other relative caregivers do. Implications for practitioners, caregivers, and future research are also discussed.

Adaptation Issues in Disabled Children Deprived of Parental Care, Living in Foster Families

The paper focuses on revealing psychological issues in the adaptation of children, including the ones with disabilities, which are deprived of parental care and are raised in foster families. The paper describes psychological features of relative caregivers, outlines the specifics, dynamics and contributing factors of anxiety in children deprived of parental care as well as in biological children of foster carers. Also, the paper reviews the specifics of relationships between relative carers and children with disabilities, the former’s approaches to raising a disabled child. Much attention is drawn to the difficulties in childrearing and teaching experienced by the caregivers. The paper concludes that there is a strong need for support from social workers and family intervention specialists. Supported within the framework of the state task FGAU "FIRO", research topics of the 25.304.2016/NM "Complex social-psychological support of foster families who foster orphans and children left without parental care, including children with disabilities"

Association between social support and quality of life of relative caregivers of elderly dependents

Objective: to ascertain the association between the social support and the quality of life of relative caregivers of elderly dependents at home.Method: a cross-sectional study conducted with 58 relative caregivers of elderly dependents, registered in the Family Health Strategy. Data were collected from the Katz instrument, sociodemographic, Zarit Burden Interview, WHOQOL-bref, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression.Results: the majority of caregivers were women, who took care full-time and presented moderate to severe burden. Most caregivers are satisfied with their social relationships and the social support received. It is found that the burden and the time of care correlated with the social relationships domain, which is associated with social support, and consequently, reduced quality of life.Conclusion: social support for caregivers is important to prevent health implications, burden, biopsychosocial stress, and provide favorable conditions for quality of life, by allowing greater freedom to develop their daily activities.