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Nurturing Grandchildren With Down Syndrome: A Qualitative Study on Grandparents' Needs Using Digital Tools^†.

ABSTRACT: Grandparents who have grandchildren with disabilities are an underrepresented group in existing research related to the field. This qualitative phenomenological study's general purpose is to analyze, from a personal perspective, the situations and needs of grandparents who have grandchildren with Down syndrome. The participants' ages range from 65 to 85, and the ages of their grandchildren with Down syndrome range from 3 to 21 years. All participants had one grandchild with a disability, except for two, who each had two. A sociodemographic questionnaire was administered, and individual interviews were conducted, using open questions, through phone and/or video calls. An analysis of the participants' speech was carried out, which implied the development of a system of meta-categories and categories. This analysis was developed manually, given the COVID-19 environment. The results indicate a substantial change from negative feelings caused by the knowledge of the diagnosis to feelings related to positive experiences expressed currently. The participants see themselves as a fundamental source of support (informal, instrumental, practical, social, emotional, and economic) for their families and, mainly, for their grandchildren with Down syndrome. A need for information and training was observed when the grandparents talked about first being informed of the diagnosis and their concerns about the future of these grandchildren and their siblings. They made social demands, such as greater government involvement or more significant opportunities to access resources and rights for their grandchildren. The results are discussed, as are possible future research directions.

SUBMITTER: Sanchez Gomez MC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8473883 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundCaring for grandchildren is regarded as one of the principle roles of middle- and old-aged adults, especially among rural Chinese grandparents. This study aims to examine the gender differences in depressive symptoms of rural Chinese grandparents caring for grandchildren, based on the gender differences in grandparental role engagement and the theories of role strain and role enhancement.MethodsA total of 4833 rural citizens with one or more grandchildren were selected from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) conducted in 2015. Grandchild care was measured by continuous variable (duration) and categorical variable (no care, low intensity, moderate intensity, high intensity). Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). We used coarsened exact matching (CEM) to balance the covariates of caregivers and non-caregivers. Following CEM, 1975 non-caregivers and 2212 caregivers were identified (N = 4187). Multilevel linear regression was employed to examine the gender differences in depressive symptoms. We also tested for the moderating role of gender on the association between grandchild care and depressive symptoms.ResultsGrandmothers were more likely to provide grandchild care (54.42% vs 51.43%) at high intensity (61.46% vs 51.01%), with longer duration (39.24 h vs 33.15 h) than that given by grandfathers. Grandmothers suffered more from depressive symptoms than grandfathers, and such gap increased when grandparents were involved in high-intensity care. Grandmothers providing grandchild care, particularly at moderate intensity, were associated with fewer depressive symptoms (Coef. = - 0.087, 95%CI: - 0.163, - 0.010; Coef. = - 0.291, 95%CI: - 0.435, - 0.147), compared with non-caregivers. Grandmothers giving moderate intensity of grandchild care were also associated with fewer depressive symptoms (Coef. = - 0.171, 95% CI: - 0.313, - 0.029), compared with those with low-intensity care. However, such associations were not significant among grandfathers.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the gender differences in depressive symptoms of rural Chinese grandparents caring for grandchildren. Grandparents should be encouraged to engage in grandchild care, but at moderate intensity. The health status of middle- and old-aged adults, particularly females, should be monitored closely. Humanistic care, preventive care and curative treatment strategies focusing on such populations should be developed and refined.

Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the integration of digital technologies in the healthcare sector. Telemedicine has notably emerged as a significant tool, offering a range of benefits. However, various barriers, such as healthcare professionals' insufficient technological skills and competencies, can hinder its effective implementation. Scholars have examined the readiness of future physicians, with some studies exploring their readiness before or during the COVID-19 crisis. There is, however, a noteable gap in the literature concerning the post-pandemic period. This study aims to identify gaps in current medical education programs by examining two primary aspects: (1) technical readiness (encompassing general and health-related digital competencies) and (2) behavioural readiness, which includes prior experiences and future intentions related to telemedicine education and implementation among medical students and residents. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a web-based questionnaire administered to medical students and residents at a major Northern Italian university. The survey responses were analyzed to ascertain whether their distributions varied across demographic variables such as gender and level of education. The most commonly owned technologies were laptops and smartphones, with smartphones perceived as the easiest to use, while desktop computers presented more challenges. Approximately 38% of respondents expressed apprehension about applying digital health information in decision-making processes. There was a significant lack of both personal and academic experience, with only 16% of students and residents having used telemedicine in a university setting. Despite this, 83% of participants expressed a desire for training in telemedicine, and 81% were open to experimenting with it during their academic journey. Moreover, 76% of respondents expressed interest in incorporating telemedicine into their future clinical practice. This study highlights the need for medical students and residents to receive specific education in digital health and telemedicine. Introducing curricula and courses in this domain is critical to addressing the challenges of digital healthcare.

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Nurturing Grandchildren With Down Syndrome: A Qualitative Study on Grandparents' Needs Using Digital Tools^†.

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Dataset Information

Nurturing Grandchildren With Down Syndrome: A Qualitative Study on Grandparents' Needs Using Digital Tools†.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets

Nurturing Grandchildren With Down Syndrome: A Qualitative Study on Grandparents' Needs Using Digital Tools^†.