Abstract
This project was designed to address the unique stressors experienced by custodial grandparents in three primary areas: financial, physical, and social/psychological domains. To address these stressors, custodial grandparents participated in a 4-week support group workshop in which experts on these topics spoke to the group and provided resources. Additionally, the participants in the workshop discussed topics, got to know each other, and provided social support to one another. This project was evaluated using qualitative research methods. The sources of data were gathered from pre and post support group questionnaires given to custodial grandparent 1 week before the first support group meeting and 1 week after the last support group meeting. Personal anecdotes and stories were shared and documented by the researcher. The findings in this work aligned with much of the current research suggesting that a strong social support system and knowing other custodial grandparents in the community promote feelings of social support for custodial grandparents. Findings also showed that custodial grandparents reported that they had more knowledge about county resources regarding financial and parenting trends, and they felt that this knowledge would offset some stressors. Lastly, based on the current findings, future directions for this work should include routine workshops/informal support groups to allow for ongoing relationship building and expanding knowledge of community financial, health, and socio-emotional support for this unique population.