Intergenerational triads in skipped-generation grandfamilies.
The past decades have seen growth in numbers of children raised by grandparents without their parent at home, called skipped-generation grand-families. This mixed methods study examined statements made by 459 grandmothers about core family relationships between grandmother and child, grandmother and parent, and parent and child. Families were grouped into intergenerational triad types based on patterns of closeness: all close relationships (triple-bonded), two close relationships (double-bonded), one close relationship (single-bonded), or weak relationships between all three family members (not-bonded). Well-being declined steadily for grandmothers from highest in triple-bonded, to lowest in not-bonded families, reflecting their high stake in all three core relationships. For grandchildren, well-being was low when the child failed to bond firmly to either grandmother or parent. On the other hand, children did well if they were close to their grandmother, even when substance abusing parents were emotionally isolated in the family, suggesting resilient children overcome parental neglect when provided with good grandparent care.
Goodman
Catherine Chase
CC
California State University, Long Beach 90840, USA. goodman@csulb.edu
D002140:California / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002655:Child Custody; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations / Q000208:ethnology