Grandparent caregiving role in Filipino American families

Abstract: The design of this preliminary study was to explore the Filipino American grandparent caregiver part of grandchildren. This descriptive qualitative inquiry utilized three data collection methods: demographic information sheet, focus collection and field notes. The Filipino American grandparents were recruited from a house of god in Honolulu, Hawaii. Thematic analysis was used to analyze narrative data. Filipino American grandparents view the grandparenting caregiving character as a normative process rather than a load in which families take upon responsibilities as part of cultural beliefs and norms similar as pakikisama, utang na loob and authoritarianism. Pakikisama is family unity and closenes and Utang na loob is mutual reciprocity the give and take" and obligation in relationships.

Keywords: Grandparent Caregivers, Filipino-American Families

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Approximately 6 million grandparents are living with their grandchildren (U Census Bureau, 2000a). For many grandparents, caring for their grandchildren has become a full-time responsibility that has created multiple stressors and major life changes (Davidhizar, Bechtel, & Woodring, 2000; Kelley & Damato, 1995) Filipino Immigrants to the U have the highest percentage (27%) of Asian American grandparents who are living with their possess grandchildren under 18 years or age and who are responsible for their grandchildren (28%) (U Census Bureau, 2000bc) When the members of the Filipino nuclear family or stretch outed family migrate to the U they usually live together because the family is a major source of emotional, moral, and economic support. Many earlier borns become surrogate parents and homemakers for their grandchildren when the couple parents are employed (Philippine nourishs Association of America, 2000). The family collectively provides a unique combination of parts to form a whole of care for family members from birth to extremity of life (Barringer, Gardner, & Levin, 1995; Lantican & Corona, 1992; Santos, 1983) Filipinos powerfully identify with their nuclear and reach outed family and the needs and welfare of the family advance before those of the individual (Espiritu & Wolf 2001; Jone 1996; Tompar-Tiu & Sustento-Seneriches, 1995)

The majority of Filipino Americans popularly living in the U.S. are first-generation Americans challenged with the difficulties of acculturation (Lee 1997) many times there is a cultural gap between grandparents and grandchildren which may come in intergenerational conflicts when the children become more assertive about their Western acculturation towards individuality (Tompar-Tiu & Sustento Seneriches, 1995)

Although Filipino American grandparents play an integral character as caregivers to their grandchildren, they may also care for grandchildren at the charge of their own health. Filipino American olders have a higher incidence of diabetes and higher risk factors for coronary heart disease like as hypercholestremia and hypertension compared with Whites (Ryan, Shaw, Pliam et al., 2000) They also have a higher percentage of cases of schizophrenia as a diagnosis compared with other Asian collections (Bjorck, Cuthberston, Thurman et al., 2001) This article will (a) discuss the limited literature related to caregiving character among Asian Americans, in general, and Filipinos specifically, (b) describe a preliminary close attention which examines the role of Filipino grandparents as caregivers for their grandchildren, and (c) relate the findings of these grandparent caregivers from a cultural context

Literature Review

The literature upon the caregiving role among Asian Americans is real limited. The only published research of Asian American grandparents to date that the authors are aware of is by means of Tam and Detzner (1998). They explored the character of Chinese American grandparents and place that grandparents typically provided child assistance. Grandmothers were a source of child care when the one and the other parents were working and many acted as substitute parents. a certain number of parents did not perceive the grandparent involvement in childrearing as positive because of their acculturation and assimilation to American values.

The majority of the caregiving studies investigating Asian American or Filipino American families, however, have focused upon the women's caregiving for their somewhat advanced in life parents. In Goodman's study (1990) of three women of Japanese and Chinese fall identified the common themes of family centrality, balance of multiple obligations, and norms of reciprocity and fitness Jones (1995) explored cultural influences upon the caregiving role among Filipino American women who cared for their somewhat old parents and found that look up to and honor were central constituents for the caring for and providing for marks of care. She identified categories similar as gratitude, indebtness, obligation, responsibility, reciprocity, satisfaction, and paying back which contributed to the core category of paying respect

Another inquiry (Jones, 1996) investigated the relationship between part identity, role integration, sense of coherence, coping strategies, and perceived health in ten Chinese and ten Filipino American women who cared for somewhat advanced in life parents. This research reported a significant relationship between part identity and psychological well-being and between character integration, total physical symptoms, and psychological well-being. She conclud the balance between stres and satisfaction associated with their characters influences the caregivers' health.