Grandparent caregivers to their grandchild(ren) is a growing population that is not completely understood. This study explored the challenges faced by grandparent caregivers to their grandchild(ren) and how being part of a kinship support group can help in addressing the challenges. A qualitative research design was used for the purpose of gathering first account narratives from the participants in the study. California Family Life Center, a kinship support agency was contacted and allowed the researcher to reach out to grandparents who were interested in taking part of the study. Seven participants took part in this study. This study concluded that grandparent caregivers are presented with challenges such as: an impact in their social life, making adjustments to their retirement plans and learning to cope through support from the kinship support group. The Loss and Grief Theory and Erikson’s Developmental Stages, generativity vs. stagnation provided an analysis and a better interpretation from the data collected from the participants. Results from the study suggest that being part of a kinship support group for participants has been beneficial to them as they come to better understand their current situation through the kinship support group. Nevertheless, the challenges are still present in their everyday lives. Implications for practice, policy and research are also discussed.

College enrollment rates have increased drastically through the years. Yet, retention rates have remained stagnant, particularly from the first to the second year. Some have attributed early departure to poor college adjustment. Bridging together theoretical perspectives and models rooted in retention research and social media research, this study tested a predictive model of college adjustment. An online survey was completed by 611 (22.8% male, 77.2% female) undergraduates. A path analysis revealed that well-adjusted students had strong kinship support, self-esteem and academic self-efficacy, were highly involved both academically and socially, and experienced lower levels of loneliness and academic stress. Shyness was found to forestall successful overall college adjustment by diminishing students' social involvement, which in turn increased perceived loneliness and contributed to poor self-esteem. On the other hand, active coping style was found to facilitate overall college adjustment by increasing academic involvement, which subsequently enhanced academic self-efficacy and self-esteem. The findings also indicate that academic Facebook use promotes greater overall college adjustment by enhancing students' social involvement. Furthermore, moderation analyses showed that the use of Facebook for interpersonal purposes increases social and academic involvement, particularly among less shy and high self-esteemed students. Interpretation of these results and practical implications are discussed. / Psychology

The quantitative study attempted to examine the barriers and challenges of grandparents raising grandchildren. The primary focus is to explore the problems and concerns to determine what are the specific needs of these redefined families. The researcher employed a questionnaire with some closed and open-ended questions, pertaining to the problems and concerns of custodial grandparents. Twenty-five grandparents in San Bernardino County were interviewed to obtain data regarding this issue. The findings of the study revealed that grandparents and grandchildren both are in need of internal and external resources to enhance, empower and support their inner ability to adjust and cope with their new and often traumatic family transitions.