SWK 534 Group Population Paper: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Affected by Parental Substance Use

SWK 534 Advanced Generalist Practice with Treatment Groups: Group Population Paper

In anticipation of developing a group manual for the final project, develop a 5–6-page, APA-formatted paper (including a reference page) introducing the population for which you wish to develop a group. The paper should draw on a review of the literature, highlighting the issues and concerns your identified population is dealing with, best practices regarding interventions, and how a group might assist them to improve their level of social functioning and overall quality of life.

Consider how broad the population is. For example, “Men transitioning to adulthood” would likely be too broad, while “Men transitioning to higher education” in a specific region would be fine. The population you choose will be the basis of your final group manual.

The assignment uses a peer review: choose a population and research it, submit a rough draft, review a partner’s paper using the rubric, revise using your peer’s feedback, complete the Peer Feedback Review form and upload the rough draft, feedback received and final draft.

Original example for study purposes (about 1,250 words, roughly 5–6 double-spaced pages with the title page and references). Add your course textbook and the region where your group would be offered.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Affected by Parental Substance Use: A Population for Group Intervention

Introduction

Across the United States, grandparents are stepping in to raise children whose parents cannot care for them. More than 2.6 million children are being raised by grandparents, other relatives or close family friends with no parent in the home, and more than 2.4 million grandparents report being responsible for their grandchildren (Generations United, 2022). Parental substance use, especially opioid use, is one of the leading reasons these “grandfamilies” form, alongside incarceration, mental illness, death and child maltreatment (Generations United, 2022; Hayslip et al., 2019). This paper introduces a specific population for a treatment group: custodial grandparents, aged 55 and older, raising grandchildren because of parental substance use in [county/region]. It reviews the literature on the issues this population faces, identifies best practices for intervention and explains how a group can improve their social functioning and quality of life.

Issues and Concerns Facing the Population

Caregiver stress and mental health. Custodial grandparents report higher levels of stress, depressive symptoms and anxiety than grandparents who are not raising grandchildren (Hayslip & Kaminski, 2005; Hayslip et al., 2019). Many assume care suddenly, often in a crisis such as an overdose, arrest or removal by child protective services, with little time to prepare.

Grief, ambiguous loss and family conflict. When the cause is substance use, grandparents grieve the loss of the adult child they knew while that child is still alive, a form of ambiguous loss. They often feel guilt, shame and anger, and they may live with ongoing uncertainty about relapse, recovery and whether the parent will return. Contact with the parent can be inconsistent and conflict-filled, and grandparents may struggle with how to explain the parent’s addiction to the children.

Children’s needs. Children in grandfamilies have often experienced trauma, including prenatal substance exposure, neglect, witnessing overdoses and separation from parents. They may show emotional and behavioral problems, attachment difficulties and developmental or learning needs, which increase the demands on caregivers (Hayslip et al., 2019).

Physical health and aging. More than 45% of grandparent caregivers are 60 or older, and nearly one in four has a disability (Generations United, 2022). Chronic health conditions and fatigue make the physical demands of parenting difficult, and grandparents may neglect their own health care.

Financial and legal challenges. About 18% of grandparent caregivers live in poverty, and many are on fixed incomes or delay retirement to support their grandchildren (Generations United, 2022). Most grandfamilies form informally, outside the foster care system, so they often do not receive foster care payments or services. Without legal custody or guardianship, grandparents may struggle to enroll children in school or consent to medical care.

Social isolation. Grandparents raising grandchildren often feel “off time,” out of step with peers who are retiring or traveling, and with younger parents in their grandchildren’s schools. Stigma around addiction can make them reluctant to seek help, leading to isolation (Hayslip & Kaminski, 2005).

Best Practices in Intervention

The literature identifies several approaches that support grandfamilies. Hayslip et al. (2019) reviewed a decade of research and highlighted support groups, psychoeducational programs, parenting skills training, case management and policy advocacy as key interventions, while noting that rigorous evaluations remain limited.

Psychoeducational and cognitive-behavioral interventions. In one of the largest trials in this area, Smith et al. (2018) randomly assigned custodial grandmothers to a behavioral parent training program, a cognitive-behavioral coping program or an information-only condition, testing whether structured programs could improve the well-being of grandmothers and their grandchildren. Related analyses of the same trial found that 343 grandmothers enrolled and that treatment completion was higher than typically reported for birth parents, even though participants and grandchildren had substantial health challenges (Smith et al., 2016). These findings suggest that structured, skill-based programs are acceptable and feasible for this population.

Parenting skills and trauma-informed care. Because many grandchildren have experienced trauma, interventions should teach grandparents about trauma’s effects on behavior and provide practical strategies such as consistent routines, positive reinforcement and calm limit-setting. Parenting approaches may have changed since grandparents raised their own children, and many grandparents value updated information on topics such as technology, school systems and adolescent development.

Support groups and peer support. Support groups are among the most common services for grandfamilies. They reduce isolation, normalize experiences and provide practical information (Hayslip & Kaminski, 2005). Groups that combine emotional support with education appear to be more beneficial than unstructured sharing alone.

Addiction-informed family education. For families affected by substance use, education about addiction as a chronic, treatable condition, about boundaries with the parent and about naloxone and overdose response can reduce shame and improve decision-making.

Resource navigation. Connecting grandparents to legal aid for guardianship, kinship navigator programs, financial benefits, respite care and health services addresses structural barriers that therapy alone cannot solve.

How a Group Can Help

A treatment group is well suited to this population. Group work offers therapeutic factors such as universality, instillation of hope, imparting of information, altruism and group cohesion [cite your course text, e.g., Yalom or Toseland & Rivas]. For grandparents who believe they are alone or who feel ashamed of their adult child’s addiction, meeting others in the same situation can be powerful. Members can share practical solutions, such as how to talk with a grandchild about a parent’s addiction or how to navigate the school’s special education process, and they can encourage one another to care for their own health.

The proposed group would be a closed, psychoeducational and support group of 8–10 grandparents meeting weekly for 90 minutes over 10 weeks. Each session would combine education and skill-building with structured sharing. Potential topics include understanding addiction and its effects on families; grief and ambiguous loss; stress management and self-care; trauma-informed parenting; communicating with grandchildren about their parents; setting boundaries with the adult child; legal and financial resources; and building a support network. To reduce barriers, the group would offer childcare, transportation assistance or a hybrid format, and it would be held at an accessible community site such as a senior center or faith-based organization.

Expected outcomes include reduced caregiver stress and depressive symptoms, improved coping and parenting confidence, increased social support and greater use of community resources. These outcomes could be measured with standardized tools, such as a perceived stress scale, a depression screener and a parenting self-efficacy measure, before and after the group. By strengthening grandparents’ well-being, the group also supports the stability and well-being of the children in their care.

Cultural and Ethical Considerations

Grandfamilies are disproportionately Black, American Indian/Alaska Native and Latino, reflecting both cultural traditions of kinship care and structural inequities. The group should honor cultural strengths, such as extended family networks and faith, and should be facilitated with cultural humility. Facilitators must also protect confidentiality, particularly because members may discuss illegal drug use by their adult children or involvement with child protective services, and they should be prepared to address mandated reporting obligations and refer members for individual counseling when needed.

Conclusion

Grandparents raising grandchildren because of parental substance use face a combination of stress, grief, health problems, financial strain, legal barriers and isolation. Research supports psychoeducational, cognitive-behavioral and parenting interventions, as well as support groups and resource navigation. A structured treatment group that combines education, skill-building and mutual support can help these grandparents improve their social functioning and quality of life, which in turn strengthens the children they are raising. This population will be the focus of my group manual.

References

Generations United. (2022). Grandfamilies and kinship families: Strengths and challenges [Fact sheet]. https://www.gu.org/app/uploads/2022/05/General-Grandfamilies-Fact-Sheet-2022.pdf

Hayslip, B., Jr., Fruhauf, C. A., & Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2019). Grandparents raising grandchildren: What have we learned over the past decade? The Gerontologist, 59(3), e152–e163. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnx106

Hayslip, B., Jr., & Kaminski, P. L. (2005). Grandparents raising their grandchildren: A review of the literature and suggestions for practice. The Gerontologist, 45(2), 262–269. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/45.2.262

Smith, G. C., Hayslip, B., Jr., Hancock, G. R., Strieder, F. H., & Montoro-Rodriguez, J. (2018). A randomized clinical trial of interventions for improving well-being in custodial grandfamilies. Journal of Family Psychology, 32(6), 816–827. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000457

Smith, G. C., Strieder, F., Greenberg, P., Hayslip, B., Jr., & Montoro-Rodriguez, J. (2016). Patterns of enrollment and engagement of custodial grandmothers in a randomized clinical trial of psychoeducational interventions. Family Relations, 65(2), 369–386.

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