Understanding the Well-Being of Children in Kinship Care: The Role of Child Disability Status and Relationship to Caregiver

Background/Purpose: For children in kinship care, experiences of trauma and adverse social determinants of health have been linked to developmental and psychosocial functioning, and disability status, all of which contribute to diminished child well-being (Tarren-Sweeney, 2013). Preliminary research conveys the proportion of children with disabilities in grandparent-headed households exceeds the general population (Rapoport et al., 2021). However, research has yet to understand the needs and well-being of children with disabilities for kinship families at large.

Methods: This study used data around child disability and well-being and functioning collected from a survey with 186 kinship caregivers throughout the United States. If participants were caring for multiple related children, they were asked to respond to certain items for a focus child whose birthday was coming up next. The study first grouped 17 disabilities into three categories - physical, mental, and developmental disabilities - and examined the frequencies of each category. The study then investigated whether the presence of disabilities or the types of disabilities are associated with the focus child’s well-being and functioning with the use of multiple regression analyses (MRAs), while controlling for the child’s age, race, and relationship to the caregivers. Child well-being was measured using five items and child functioning was measured using nine items, and the summed total scores were used in the present study.

Results: Focus children in the study were 9 years old on average, and close to half of them (43%) identified as White and one-third as Black (32%). Approximately half (48%) were cared for by grandparents, and 28% by aunts or uncles. The study found that 36% of focus children had disabilities, and ADHD (17.7%) and anxiety (15.6%) were the most common disability types. Respectively, 15.1%, 19.4%, and 29.6% of focus children had at least one physical, mental, or developmental disability. The average total well-being score was 14.3 (out of a possible range of 5-20), and the mean total functioning score was 21.4 (out of a possible range of 9-27). The results of MRAs showed that for the presence of a disability, particularly mental disabilities (B = -1.90, p < 0.01), as well as being cared for by aunts or uncles (B = -2.09, p <.001) and by fictive kin (B = -1.65, p < 0.05) compared to those cared by grandparents were significantly associated with lower well-being scores of children in kinship care. Similarly, the presence of a disability, particularly developmental disabilities (B = -3.15, p <.001) , and being cared for by aunts or uncles (B = -1.59, p < 0.05), compared to those cared for by grandparents, were significantly associated with lower functioning scores of children in kinship care.

Conclusion/Implications: Overall, the current study is one of the first to explore disability presence, disability types, and well-being and functioning profiles for children in kinship care. Results suggest disability type and caregiver’s relationship to the child is linked to child well-being and functioning. These findings critically illustrate the need for more research and tailored supports for kinship families raising children with disabilities.