Grandparent caregivers' perception of the stress of surrogate parenting

This paper examined the relationship between sociodemographic factors, stre ssors, and resources, and the perception of stress by grandparents caring f or their grandchildren. A sample of 129 grandparents had face-to-face inter views. A hierarchical block regression analysis produced a model that accou nted for 49 percent of the variance. For the first block (sociodemographic factors) younger age and being white were significant, but in the context o f the second Mock, these variables disappeared and being employed having co nflict with the grandchildren's parent, and grandchild problems were signif icant. The final block, in which resources were added, found that being emp loyed, having conflict with the children's parent, grandchild problems, and lack of family resources were associated with high perception of stress. T hese findings suggest strategies for social work intervention.