ABSTRACT
This chapter explores resourcefulness: the theoretical basis of personal and social resourcefulness; measuring resourcefulness; the relationships of resourcefulness to mental and physical health status, adaptive functioning, and quality of life; and evidence based strategies for increasing resourcefulness in grandmothers raising grandchildren. Resourcefulness is a repertoire of cognitive-behavioral skills for coping with adversity (Rosenbaum, 1990; Zauszniewski, 1997, 2006). Our work in the area of resourcefulness has shown that while there are no differences in overall resourcefulness between grandmothers raising grandchildren and non-caregiving grandmothers, greater resourcefulness contributes to better family functioning and fewer depressive symptoms in these women. Therefore, teaching the skills constituting resourcefulness to grandmothers can be beneficial for reducing the effects of family life stress, minimizing depressive symptoms and promoting healthy functioning.
