The Effects of Social Relations in Changes in Neighborhood Social Cohesion and Psychological Well-Being Among Grandparent Caregivers (WITHDRAWN)

Background and Purpose: Neighborhood cohesion benefits neighborhood children and their parents by reducing social isolation and supporting mental health. However, there is little information about neighborhood social relations in the context of grandparenting. Guided by the Convoy model of social relations, this study examines the changes of social relations in influencing neighborhood social cohesion and psychological well-being over time among grandparent caregivers. We examine the longitudinal effects of network structure (i.e., frequency) and neighbor relationship quality (i.e., close relationship) on neighborhood cohesion and psychological well-being among continuous, stopped, beginning caregivers and non-caregivers. Methods: The sample was composed of 4,076 grandparent caregivers from the two waves (2006 and 2010) Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) estimated the associations of network size, close relationships, social cohesion and depressive symptoms. Results: Among continuous and beginning caregivers, close relationships were associated with the increases in neighborhood social cohesion while network size was associated with the increases in neighborhood social cohesion among stopped caregivers. Among non-caregivers, network size and close relationships were associated with the increases in neighborhood cohesion. Further, increased social cohesion was highly associated with decreases in depressive symptoms for all caregivers. Conclusion and Implications: These findings contribute to understanding of social relations among grandparent caregivers in neighborhoods and how those relations influence well-being in caregiving transition.