0257 Prescription Sleep Aid Use Impacts Family Functioning for Families with Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Abstract

Introduction: One in ten grandparents live with their grandchildren (GRG). GRGs are more likely to live in poverty, work at least part time, and have disability status than grandparents with no coresident grandchildren. No studies have explored if prescription sleep aid use for GRG may be related to the child's sleep or family functioning. This study examines prescribed sleep aid use for GRGs and how it may be related to the child's sleep and family functioning. Method(s): This study used twelve month follow up data from the KIN-Tech 2012 Fostering Connections federal demonstration project funded by the US Children's Bureau. A random selection of one hundred GRGs with self-reported twelve month follow up assessments including the Protective Factors Survey (Counts, 2010) to measure family functioning for themselves and the children in their care. ANOVAs were used to compare prescription sleep aid use, chronic conditions with family functioning. Result(s): Participants in this study included grandmothers (88%) from low income households (m=$24,000), 46 years of age, single (66%), African American (46%). Forty-one percent (n=43) of caregivers reported troubled sleep, with 41% (n=43) indicated that caregiving impacts their sleep. Twenty five percent of caregivers (n=25) take sleep aids. Caregivers with Asthma [F(2, 90)=4.11, p