We examined patterns and predictors of perceived need, use, and unmet need for mental health services by custodial grandchildren within the school-based and community-based delivery sectors. Data were from a national sample of 610 grandmothers caring for grandchildren ages 6 to 17 in the absence of biological parents. Overlapping use of services…

The purpose of this study was to understand the expression of generativity among grandparents and their adult grandchildren through their experiences of family leisure. Fourteen dyads of grandparents and adult grandchildren were interviewed about their experience of family leisure. The findings illustrate the important role that family leisure…

This study examined how adolescents raised solely by grandparents navigated their relationships with their parents and grandparents and how these relationships were influenced by the caregiving context. Forty-one adolescents participated in qualitative, semistructured interviews. Findings suggest that relationships with parents were primarily…

This prospective, intergenerational study (N = 181) considered how parent (G1, Generation 1) and child (G2, Generation 2) relationship quality during adolescence and adulthood is associated with G1's level of involvement with their 3- to 4-year-old grandchildren (G3, Generation 3). Path model analyses indicated different patterns of results for…

On the basis of a qualitative study of 31 grandparents, this article highlights how separation in the middle generation can result in an erosion of trust and quality of paternal grandparent-grandchild relationships. Notwithstanding these changes, grandparents endeavor to support and remain involved in the lives of their grandchildren by, inter…

An adaptation of the Family Stress Model was examined using structural equation modeling with data from 193 custodial grandmother-grandfather dyads. The model's measurement and structural components were largely invariant by grandparent gender. For grandmothers and grandfathers alike, the effects of their psychological and marital distress on…

Grandmothers primarily responsible for caring for their grandchildren possess strengths and confront challenges. To gain insight into intergenerational parenting, 17 African American grandmothers were interviewed. Based on a qualitative content analysis, seven strategies emerged: maintaining effective communication, taking a strong role in the…

A defining characteristic of grandparents raising grandchildren is parenting a second generation of children. To learn how grandmothers compare parenting their grandchildren to parenting their children, 40 custodial grandmothers were interviewed. Results of a qualitative analysis indicated that grandmothers perceived themselves as wiser, more…

Notes that every state has passed laws giving grandparents right to petition courts for privilege of visiting their grandchildren. Family specialists need to understand nature of grandparents' rights laws because these laws affect their duties. Asserts that research findings and expert witness testimonies of family specialists should be included…

Examined hypothesis that, when grandmother-granddaughter contact is low, grandmother-granddaughter relationship is mediated by middle generation and, when contact is high, grandmother-granddaughter relationship is direct and bypasses middle generation. Data from 126 young adult granddaughter-mother-grandmother triads support hypothesis when…

Examines the characteristics of grandmothers who help provide care for their grandchildren, using data from a nationally representative sample (N=2,095). Overall, 43% of grandmothers helped provide care for their grandchildren on a regular basis. Grandmothers' age, living arrangements, number of children, number of grandchildren, education, and…

Reviews grandparent/grandchild relationship relative to older adult, middle generation, and grandchild in light of recent demographic changes and increased life expectancy. The role of grandparents as a potential family resource is discussed and implications for family life programming are suggested. (Author)

Analyzed data from 99 grandfathers living in rural transitional areas with regard to patterns of association, helping, and levels of affect. Results showed the grandfather role is of little relative importance as seen through low levels of interaction and priority as a role. Geographical proximity was most consistently related to the…

A qualitative study was done to investigate how adult children become caregivers to older parents with functional impairments and what roles their own children adopt in their family's care arrangement. Interviews revealed five influences on children and grandchildren's adoption of caregiver roles: expectations; family rules; religious training;…

Drawing on family systems theory, this study examined whether social cohesion with grandparents moderated the intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms from mothers to their adolescent and young adult children. We analyzed data from 2,280 grandchildren and their mothers who participated in two waves of the National Survey of Families…