Stress and Self-Care Practices Among African American Kinship Caregivers: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study

Background: Research shows that individuals who take on primary responsibility for caring for related children (e.g., grandparents raising grandchildren) often experience high levels of stress. Chronic stress increases the risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. As a result, kinship caregivers often face both physical and mental health challenges. These outcomes highlight the need for research focused on improving caregivers’ health. This study aimed to explore the self-care behaviors of African Americans providing informal kinship care, as self-care practices have been linked to effective stress management.

Methods: This pilot study used a sequential equal status mixed method design. Specifically, we used quantitative and qualitative methods to examine (a) the prevalence of stress (b) caregivers’ health; and (c) how caregivers understand and describe their self-care practices. We recruited African American informal kinship caregivers from child welfare agencies, one Head Start program, and the community (N=12; children ages 5 to 12). Data was collected from the caregivers using several measures including the Parenting Stress Index, Family Resource Scale, and a demographic form to obtain their self-ratings health. Univariate analysis was conducted to determine the distribution of the dependent, independent, and control variables, as well as demographic variables. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using phenomenological approach.

Results: The quantitative analysis revealed that 33% of caregivers reported high or clinically significant levels of stress. Additionally, most kinship caregivers faced resource challenges, with only 1 participant reporting their family resources were almost always adequate, but 50% of the caregivers reported their family resources were seldom or sometimes adequate and 25% of caregivers reported they were somewhat unhealthy. From the qualitative analysis three themes emerged that illuminated African American informal kinship caregivers’ lived experiences with stress and their self-care practices: (a) positive self-care practice to improve overall well-being (b) maladaptive coping that may contribute to negative health; and (c) the impact of their concern that if something happened to me, who would take care of the children.

Implications: Findings from this pilot study highlight the significant stress experienced by African American informal kinship caregivers and provide insight into both adaptive and maladaptive self-care strategies. While previous research has documented the burden of caregiving, this study adds depth by capturing caregivers’ personal perspectives on managing stress. The results emphasize the importance of developing interventions that support sustainable self-care practices tailored to this population. Such interventions should account for caregivers’ lived experiences and the structural challenges they face, ensuring stress-reduction strategies are practical, accessible, and aligned with their everyday realities.