The Relations between the Financial Wellbeing of Custodial Grandparents, their Overall Wellbeing, and their Perceived Social Support

Author

Paige L. Miller, Mississippi State UniversityFollow

Affiliation

College of Arts and Sciences, Psychology

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Psychology

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Major

Psychology

Document Type

Immediate Open Access

Abstract

There have been numerous studies on how the financial wellbeing of custodial grandparents affects their overall wellbeing, and how the amount of social support custodial grandparents receive impacts their depressive and anxiety symptoms. However, little is known regarding the ways in which all three variables are related – financial wellbeing, overall wellbeing, and social support – or their impact on custodial grandparents. We examined the relations between these variables, as well as the moderating relation of financial wellbeing on social support and wellbeing. The data used in the current study was collected as part of a larger project, during which participants were recruited by Cloud Research from March to April of 2023. The results demonstrated negative correlations between custodial grandparents’ financial wellbeing and wellbeing, positive correlations between their levels of social support and their wellbeing, and positive correlations between their financial wellbeing and levels of social support received. The results also revealed that custodial grandparents who had a lower financial wellbeing had higher levels of depressive symptoms. However, there were no significant differences in the associations between all three variables, and although we could not investigate the impacts that financial support may have, we urge future research to further consider this. We believe that
the implications of this study show that there is a need for more instrumental support for custodial grandparents to help alleviate and manage depressive and anxiety symptoms and to maintain high levels of physical health.

Date Defended

12-4-2024

Thesis Director

Danielle K. Nadorff, Ph.D.

Second Committee Member

Cliff McKinney, Ph.D.

Third Committee Member

Matthew Peaple, Ph.D.

Recommended Citation

Miller, Paige L., "The Relations between the Financial Wellbeing of Custodial Grandparents, their Overall Wellbeing, and their Perceived Social Support" (2024). Honors Theses. 134.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/honorstheses/134