| ObjectivesTo investigate the quality of life of grandparents in intergenerational care for infants under the age of 3,analyze its influencing factors;to analyze the interrelationship between the quality of life and social adjustment,perceptive social support and anxiety;to identify the perceptions,experiences and conflicts of grandparents in caring for their grandchildren;to construct an intervention program to improve the quality of life of grandparents in intergenerational care,and to verify its effectiveness,so as to effectively improve the quality of life of grandparents in intergenerational care and to improve the quality of life of grandparents and promote family harmony.Methods1.Survey on the quality of life of grandparents in intergenerational careFrom November 2021 to April 2022,intergenerational care grandparents living in the jurisdiction of 2 community health service centers in Zhengzhou were selected for the survey using the revised Quality of Life Questionnaire for Intergenerational Care Grandparents as the survey instrument.To understand and analyze the current quality of life of the intergenerational care grandparents and analyze the influencing factors,and to provide a basis for the construction of the follow-up intervention program.2.Qualitative study on the quality of life of intergenerational caregiversFrom April 2022 to May 2022,16 grandparents were selected for semi-structured interviews using purposive sampling method to understand the real experiences of grandparents in caring for grandchildren under 3 years old and to explore the potential factors influencing their quality of life,which will provide a basis for the construction of the intervention program.3.Construction and validation of an intervention program to improve the quality of life of grandparents in intergenerational careBased on the quantitative and qualitative studies,we will construct an intervention program to improve the quality of life of grandparents in intergenerational care,and revise the first draft using the Delphi expert consultation method to form the final draft of the intervention program.From August 2022 to September 2022,a total of 43 intergenerational caregiving grandparents living in two communities A and B under a community health service center in Zhengzhou,Henan Province were selected and randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group.The intervention group implemented the intervention program to improve the quality of life of the intergenerational care grandparents;the control group carried out conventional health education intervention and participated in the activities organized by the community health service center,such as conventional health education,popular science propaganda,and childcare propaganda.Before and after the intervention,the two groups of intergenerational care grandpartens were assessed by the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Intergenerational Care Grandpartens.Results1.A total of 386 intergenerational caregiving were effectively surveyed and their total quality of life score was(72.02±7.56),with scores of(10.83±1.58)in the physical domain,(10.95±2.11)in the psychological domain,(10.95±2.11)in the social domain,and(11.24±1.69)in the environmental domain,and the scores of each domain were lower than the domestic norm;correlation analysis The results showed that comprehension social support was positively correlated with quality of life(r=0.649,P<0.01);social adjustment was positively correlated with quality of life(r=0.522,P<0.01);anxiety was negatively correlated with quality of life(r=-0.566,P<0.01);the factors affecting the quality of life of grandchildren in intergenerational care were: whether to move with them,the presence of chronic diseases,family conflicts frequency of occurrence,comprehension of social support,social adjustment,and anxiety(P < 0.05).2.For the qualitative studies related to quality of life of grandpartens in intergenerational care,5major themes and 12 sub-themes were extracted: intergenerational support(responsibility and obligation,intergenerational exchange),parenting dilemmas(conflicting expectations,lack of scientific parenting knowledge,physical and mental burden),difficulty in social integration(migration stress,social limitations),conflict and well-being(mother-in-law-daughter-in-law conflict,offspring emotional maintenance,self-worth),lack of support(lack of social support,insufficient family support).3.Final draft of the intervention program to improve the quality of life of grandpartens in intergenerational care,with 8 activity themes: the role I play,my worries,discovering happiness,learning to communicate,my health is my responsibility,improving parenting skills,grandchildren’s behavior management,and kissing my baby.4.The differences in the baseline comparison of general information and observation indicators between the intervention and control groups of intergenerational care grandpartens were not statistically significant(P > 0.05)and were comparable.After the intervention,the quality of life score,comprehension social support score,and social adjustment score were higher in the intervention group than in the control group(P<0.05),and the anxiety level score was lower than in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusions1.The quality of life and perceived social support of the intergenerational caregivers were at an intermediate level,and the social adjustment ability was at a moderate to low level,which should be improved;there was a significant correlation between quality of life,perceived social support,social adjustment,and anxiety.2.The quality of life of intergenerational caregiving grandpartens was influenced by multiple factors.Higher levels of social support,social adjustment,and parenting skills are conducive to the improvement of quality of life of intergenerational care grandpartens,while relocation,social integration difficulties,family conflicts,and anxiety are not conducive to the improvement of quality of life of grandparents in intergenerational care.3.The government and community managers should pay attention to the quality of life of grandparents in intergenerational care,especially the social integration dilemmas of migrating grandparents.Interventions in the areas of social support,intergenerational communication,and parenting skills,can effectively improve intergenerational caregiving grandpartens’ quality of life and promote family harmony. |
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