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Intergenerational triads in grandparent-headed families
1Department of Social Work, California State University, Long Beach 90840, USA. Goodman@csulb.edu
Summary
Grandmother well-being is impacted by parent-child relationships in families where grandparents are caregivers. Emotional isolation of the parent negatively affects grandmother well-being, regardless of living situation.
Area of Science:
- Family Studies
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Increasing numbers of grandparents are assuming caregiving roles for grandchildren due to parental issues like substance abuse, mental health challenges, and financial instability.
- This trend necessitates understanding the dynamics within these evolving family structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the well-being of grandmothers acting as primary or supportive caregivers.
- To examine the influence of intergenerational triad dynamics (grandmother, parent, grandchild) on grandmother well-being.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative interviews were conducted with 987 grandmothers.
- Participants included 512 custodial grandmothers raising grandchildren and 475 coparenting grandmothers assisting their adult children.
Main Results:
- A weak parent-grandmother relationship did not significantly correlate with lower grandmother well-being.
- Parental emotional isolation, especially in custodial families, was linked to diminished grandmother well-being, irrespective of cohabitation.
- The parent acting as a familial link was common in coparenting families but did not uniquely impact grandmother well-being.
Conclusions:
- Intergenerational triad structures are significant emotional configurations that are relevant across different living arrangements.
- These configurations appear with varying frequencies in custodial versus coparenting families.
- The study highlights the importance of analyzing multi-relational patterns and the impact of parental absence on family dynamics.