Amazing Grace

Intergenerational African families, in which the grandmother is the primary caregiver of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, are increasingly rapidly in American society. Over the past decade, researchers and policy makers have shown considerable concern over the increases in grandparent maintained households. This concern has stimulated a proliferation of research on grandparent caregiving on a wide range of issues. Among these are the impact of multiple roles on health, reasons for the rapid increase, problems and needs, social structure and extended family relationships, social support, role satisfaction, the impact of the AIDS and crack-cocaine epidemics, and emotional/physical well-being.