Material Hardship among Custodial Grandparents in COVID-19 and Its Associations with Grandchildren’s Physical and Mental Health: A Latent Class Analysis

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 has increased economic hardship for many families, including custodial grandparent-headed families. We aim to examine latent classes of material hardship among custodial grandparent-headed families, to assess predictors associated with identified classes, and to investigate associations with grandchildren’s physical and mental health outcomes during COVID-19. A cross-sectional survey was administered via Qualtrics Panels in June 2020. The sample comprised of 362 grandparents. Latent class analysis and multinomial and binary logistic regression were conducted. Three latent classes of material hardship were identified Class 1 low overall hardship with high medical hardship, class 2 moderate overall hardship with high utility hardship, and class 3 severe overall hardship. Factors, including race, household income, labor force status, years of care, and financial assistance status, were associated with class membership. Class 2 was significantly associated with grandchildren’s physical health. Our findings suggest that material hardship is heterogeneous among custodial grandparents during COVID-19, and children in households experiencing utility hardship have a higher risk for poorer physical health outcomes. Results highlight the need to meet grandparents’ material needs and call for future research to examine possible mechanisms that explain the link between material hardship and grandchildren’s outcomes.