Scholarship & Research

Browse

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Family coping and adaptation among grandparents rearing grandchildren
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2007) Porterfield, Fonda K.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Bethany L. Letiecq
Over the past decade, grandparent caregiving, in which grandparents take on the sole custody of their grandchildren without a parent present, has been one of the fastest growing family forms in the U.S. Most studies on grandparent caregiver functioning have focused on the challenges and deficits of grandfamilies. Little research has been conducted on the adaptive processes of grandparent caregivers and the coping mechanisms they employ to deal with parenting the second time around. The current study was based on qualitative data generated from 26 in-depth, face-to-face interviews with grandparents who were rearing their grandchildren. Interviews were conducted with 10 grandfathers and 23 grandmothers who were the sole care providers of their grandchildren. The majority of grandparents were providing care for their grandchildren due to their adult child's substance abuse and/or mental illness. During each interview, a semi-structured interview protocol was followed. These interviews began by generating a genogram of the family system, including four generations of the family: the grandparents' parents, the grandparents, their adult children, and their grandchildren.