Campus Location
Abilene Campus (Residential)
Date of Award
5-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Social Work
Degree Name
Master of Science
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Alan Lipps
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Stephanie Hamm
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Megan Harbin
Abstract
Methodist Children’s Home’s (MCH) GAP Program provides services for grandparents raising their grandchildren. This single case study explores whether the services provided by the GAP Program will reduce the risk factors for grandparents raising their grandchildren while increasing their ability to care for the child in a way that will promote well-being in today’s complex world. The literature shows some challenges for these grandparents include: role ambiguity, limited legal rights, lack of resources, inadequate living arrangements, employment and retirement, health issues, and outdated parenting skills and disciplinary methods. Protective factors for grandparents include: adaptive coping skills, self-care, positive relationships, support, and access to resources. The well-being of the grandchildren can be negatively affected by the level of attention they are receiving from their grandparents, maladaptive behaviors and coping skills, a sense of fear of abandonment and feeling unwanted, as well as a lack of support. Protective factors for these children include strong support systems, stability, feeling loved, and being around family. Being placed with their grandparents can provide felt-safety, improvements in school, as well as positive personality and behavioral characteristics. Successful interventions for this population include in-home services, case management, and group interventions. This single case study supports that the GAP Program has the ability to reduce the stress levels for grandparents and increase the competence in parenting.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Wiedebusch, Ashten, "An Evaluation of the Methodist Children's Home GAP Program" (2020). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 230.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/230