“These classes have been my happy place”: Feasibility study of a self-care program in Native Hawaiian custodial grandparents

Abstract

Native Hawaiian custodial grandparents have a distinctive set of strengths and challenges that may lead them to benefit from a structured self-care program. The purpose of this paper is to describe a feasibility study with nine Native Hawaiian custodial grandparents who participated in a 6-week self-care intervention. Based on openended questions during the post-questionnaire and at the 6-month follow-up focus group, grandparent participants noted that their grandchildren needed education and clothing. Most grandparents did not endorse statements that their grandchildren had any mental or physical health conditions. Grandparents reflected that the intervention provided them with skills to help cope with raising grandchildren and helped them realize the importance of their health to providing care to their grandchildren. Based on the findings from this pilot study, the self-care approach may have benefits for Native Hawaiian custodial grandparents.