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	Institution: STANFORD Univ Med Center  | My Account | E-mail Alerts | Access Rights | Sign In Vol. 6 No. 5, September 1997   Archives  •  Online Features ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS  This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal Depression in Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Results of a National Longitudinal Study Meredith Minkler, DrPH; Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD; Doriane Miller, MD; Diane Driver, PhD Arch Fam Med. 1997;6(5):445-452. Abstract Objectives To assess the effect of undertaking custodial care of a grandchild on grandparents' depression levels and to determine what characteristics are associated with higher depression levels among caregiving grandparents. Design A longitudinal national probability panel study: the National Survey of Families and Households. The first wave of data (n=13 008) was collected in 1987 and 1988, and the second wave of data (n=10 008) was collected from 1992 through 1994. Setting The survey was conducted in respondents' households in the coterminous United States. Participants The subsample for this study was composed of 3111 respondents who reported being grandparents during the 1992-1994 interviews and for whom complete depression information was available. Of these grandparents, 158 were the primary caregivers for their grandchildren in the 1990s. Main Outcome Measures Depression was measured using a modified version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Results Those who provide primary care for a grandchild are almost twice as likely to have levels of depressive symptoms above the traditional Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale cut point of 16 (25.1% vs 14.5%). Even when controlling for baseline depression and demographic variables known to affect depressive symptoms, undertaking the care of a grandchild was associated significantly with higher depression levels in a multivariate prospective analysis (P<.01). Among caregiving grandparents, those who recently assumed caregiving responsibilities (P<.05) and women (P<.10) were more depressed and older respondents (P<.10) and those in good health (P<.001) were less depressed. Conclusions Undertaking the primary care of a grandchild is associated with an increase in levels of depression. Particularly in light of the recent dramatic increase in the prevalence of grandparent caregiving in the United States, physicians need to explore familial role changes with midlife and older patients who have symptoms of depression. Special attention should be paid to the most at-risk subsets of grandparent caregivers: those who are new caregivers, those in poor health, those who are younger, and women. Author Affiliations From the School of Public Health (Dr Minkler) and the Academic Geriatric Resource Program (Dr Driver), University of California, Berkeley; the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Dr Fuller-Thomson); and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, NJ (Dr Miller). THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES Black--White Disparities in Disability Among Older Americans: Further Untangling the Role of Race and Socioeconomic Status Fuller-Thomson et al. J Aging Health 2009;21:677-698. ABSTRACT   Grandmother Caregiving, Family Stress and Strain, and Depressive Symptoms Musil et al. West J Nurs Res 2009;31:389-408. ABSTRACT   Needs and Issues of Latino and Native American Nonparental Relative Caregivers: Strengths and Challenges Within a Cultural Context Kopera-Frye Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal 2009;37:394-410. ABSTRACT   Risk of Psychological Difficulties Among Children Raised by Custodial Grandparents Smith and Palmieri Psychiatr. Serv. 2007;58:1303-1310. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Stressors, Social Support, and Health Outcomes Leder et al. Journal of Family Nursing 2007;13:333-352. ABSTRACT   All in the Family: The Impact of Caring for Grandchildren on Grandparents' Health Hughes et al. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Science 2007;62:S108-S119. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Stress and Coping in African American Grandparents Who Are Raising Their Grandchildren Ross and Aday Journal of Family Issues 2006;27:912-932. ABSTRACT   Caregiving to Children and Grandchildren and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Women Lee et al. AJPH 2003;93:1939-1944. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Intergenerational Triads in Grandparent-Headed Families Goodman Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Science 2003;58:S281-289. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren: Family Structure and Well-Being in Culturally Diverse Families Goodman and Silverstein Gerontologist 2002;42:676-689. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Psychological Well-Being of Black and White Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren: Examination of a Two-Factor Model Pruchno and McKenney Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Science 2002;57:P444-452. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Health of Grandmothers: A Comparison by Caregiver Status Musil and Ahmad J Aging Health 2002;14:96-121. ABSTRACT   Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Impact of a National Satellite Video Program TARG and BRINTNALL-PETERSON Journal of Family Issues 2001;22:579-593. ABSTRACT   Does Raising Your Grandchildren Cause Depression? JWatch Psychiatry 1997;1997:19-19. FULL TEXT   DOES RAISING YOUR GRANDCHILDREN CAUSE DEPRESSION? JWatch General 1997;1997:6-6. 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