A profile of grandparents raising grandchildren in the United States

This article examines the prevalence of grandparent caregiving in the U.S. and presents a national profile of grandparent caregivers based on current data from the National Survey of Families and Households, More than one in een grandparents are found to have cared for a grandchild for at least 6 months, with most of these having engaged in a far longer-term commitment, Although custodial grandparenting cuts across gender, class, and ethnic lines, single women, African Americans, and low income persons are disproportionately represented. Multivariate logistic analysis indicates that three groups-women, recently bereaved parents, and African Americans-have approximately twice the odds of becoming caregiving grandparents, Implications for further research, policy, and practice are discussed.