Aging Families

Musil et al (2009) provide important implications that will help direct practitioners offer social support to improve the well-being of grandmothers raising grandchildren.  The article states that grandmothers who raise grandchildren develop depressive symptoms compared to grandmothers who never practice these roles. The study clearly show that family life stresses affects the well-being of grandmothers as they suffer from health problems.  The study hypothesized that mental health problems were reduced by providing greater support and ensuring that the care givers have less family stress.  In the study, the main aim was to investigate how family life stresses contributes to physical and mental health problems and the role of social support in reducing depressive symptoms (Musil et al, 2009).  The   authors do not overreach their data as they present the data and information as they really are. For example,   the result show that  grandmothers face intra-family strain  which are contributed by  daily schedules, less discretionary time, legal problems and other  difficult situations  which they face in daily basis.  The author offer recommendations which reflect practitioners’ awareness by stating that the first step to improve the mental health is to help grandmothers manage strain. Thus, practitioners in this a care has a role in finding the prevalence of caregiving and scope of stresses (Musil et al, 2009). To achieve effectiveness, practitioners are advised on conducting general health assessments based on formal and informal support, family stresses, family compositions and more.  Note that interventions are based resourcefulness and Support.

According to Neal & Hammer (2009), in everyday life, people cope with stress and for this reason, coping strategies matters a lot to achieve coping effectiveness.  Coping involves ‘emotion-focused coping’ which require cognitive coping and ‘problem-focused coping’ which require behavioral coping.  In this case, the author explains different coping strategies which dual-earner couples may use to reduce stress and more important improve the psychological well-being (Neal & Hammer, 2009).  Out of the selected coping strategies, the study found two important behavioral coping strategies; that is, emotional coping strategies and cognitively decreasing demands which is based on managing time for important activities. The authors  provides implications  to direct practitioners by stating that even though these coping strategies  are  on individual level, employer and management have a role to play  in ensuring that employees have enough time to manage  work and family. The recommendation offered also reflects the awareness of the practitioner in that managers should join ‘Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors’ (FSSB) for them to solve work family conflict by offering emotional support (Neal & Hammer, 2009).

 From a practitioner’s point of view, the article that offers the most helpful information is the one by Neal and Hammer (2009). The article raises the issue of dual-earner couples and the family coping strategies in managing stress. The information or recommendations are helpful in managers or in this case psychologist managers are expected   to encourage employees cope with stress. This is done through brief conversation and meeting in social systems. Employers and mangers should create work schedule flexibility to allow employee manage work-family issues (Neal & Hammer, 2009).  FSSB is important as managers will be able to offer instrumental support; role modeling behaviors and help employees manage work-family conflict.

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Musil, C., Warner, C., Zauszniewski, J., Wykle, M., & Standing, T. (2009). Grandmother caregiving, family

stress and strain, and depressive symptoms. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 31(3), 389–408.

Neal, M. B., & Hammer, L. B. (2009). Dual-earner couples in the sandwiched generation: Effects of

coping strategies over time. Psychologist-Manager Journal, 12(4), 205–234.