Conflicts, Concerns and Family Circumstances in Custodial Grandmothers Over 8 Years

Authors

Cristina Noriega, Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, School of Medicine, CEU San Pablo UniversityFollow
Carol Musil, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.Follow
Jaclene Zauszniewski, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.Follow
Camille Warner, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.Follow

Abstract

Although many grandmothers raising grandchildren experience transitions in their roles as family strains and circumstances change, little longitudinal data has been examined. This qualitative study assessed the relationships between custodial grandmothers’ appraisals of their family conflicts and concerns and family circumstances across eight years. Participants were thirty-five Ohio grandmothers who were raising their grandchildren in 2006-2007 and provided additional self-report survey data in 2008-2009 and 2014-2015. Data were gathered from open-ended questions that were analyzed through conventional content analysis. The reported concerns were financial and emotional difficulties, grandchildren outcomes, mental and physical health of the grandchild and other family members, and difficulties coping with visitations and custody issues. Concurrently, grandmothers experienced several transitions in their caregiving status and family circumstances over time. Implications of the results are also discussed.

Recommended Citation

Noriega, C., Musil, C., Zauszniewski, J., Warner, C. (2018). Conflicts, Concerns and Family Circumstances in Custodial Grandmothers Over 8 Years. GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy, 5 (1).
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/grandfamilies/vol5/iss1/5