Dr. Feinian Chen Recieved a Prestigious Grant from the NIH
(K01 Grant - Mentored Research Career Award)
Total amount = $566,285

Dr. Feinian Chen’s NIH grant proposal:

Existing research reports both positive and negative effects of grandparents caring for grandchildren on the well-being of grandparents. But the evidence is inconclusive, owing mainly to limitations in data and research design. The proposed research of Dr. Chen focuses on China, a setting where it is normative for grandparents to provide routine care for grandchildren.  The proposed work should enhance our understanding of the process through which grandparent caregiving influences the health of grandparents.

The goals of theresearch project are:

1) Describe the scope of grandparent caregiving in China, including the proportion of children cared for by grandparents and the level of caregiving responsibilities of grandparents.

2) Examine factors associated with grandparent caregiving in China, including the intensity of the mother's work load, grandparents' characteristics, and various structural and contextual factors.
  
3) Evaluate the relationship between grandparent caregiving and health in China, including both immediate and long-term consequences of grandparent caregiving on various measures of health outcomes.

4) Design measures and collect original data on mental health of elderly in China, with the purpose of further documenting the relationship between grandparents caregiving and their well-being.