Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T22:52:52.267Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Factors Associated with Changes in Visiting Between Grandmothers and Grandchildren Following an Adult Child's Marriage Breakdown

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

James W. Gladstone
James W. Gladstone
Affiliation:
Wilfrid Laurier University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper identifies some factors associated with changes in face-to-face contact between grandmothers and grandchildren following a child's marriage breakdown. A qualitative analysis showed that geographic mobility, the appeal of a grandmother's home, employment status of the adult child, and the absence of the child-in-law were related to increases in visiting. Unresolved conflict and difficulties re-negotiating post-breakdown relationships were related to decreases in visiting. These findings as well as implications for service delivery are discussed.

Résumé

Cet article identifie certains facteurs associés aux changements de contacts directs entre les grand-mères et leurs petits enfants suivant le divorce d'un enfant. Une analyse qualitative relève quatre facteurs qui contribuent à l'augmentation des visites: la mobilité géographique, l'attrait du foyer de la grand-mère, la position de l'enfant adulte sur le marché du travail et l'absence du gendre ou de la bru. Par ailleurs, deux facteurs sont attribués à la diminution des visites: les conflits non-résolus et les problèmes d'adaptation au niveau affectif suivant la rupture. Ces constatations ainsi que les répercussions sur le système de soutien sont discutées.

Keywords

visitinggrandmothers/grandchildrenmarriage breakdown
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , Summer/l'été 1987 , pp. 117 - 127
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ahrons, Constance R., and Bowman, Madonna E. (1981). Changes in Family Relationships Following Divorce of Adult Child: Grandmother's Perceptions. Journal of Divorce, 5, 49–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bell, Norman W. (1962). Extended Relations of Disturbed and Well Families. Family Process, 1, 175–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blishen, Bernard R., and McRoberts, Hugh A. (1976). A Revised Socio-economic Index for Occupations in Canada. The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 13, 71–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cherlin, Andrew, and Furstenberg, Frank F. Jr. (1986). The New American Grandparent. New York: Basic Books, Inc.Google Scholar
Cherlin, Andrew, and Furstenberg, Frank F. (1985). Styles and Strategies of Grand-parenting. In Bengtson, Vern L. and Robertson, Joan F. (eds). Grandparenthood (pp. 97–116). Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, Inc.Google Scholar
Foster, Henry H. Jr., and Freed, Doris Jonas. (1981). Grandparent Visitation: Vagaries and Vicissitudes. Journal of Divorce, 5, 79–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Furstenberg, Frank F. (1981). Remarriage and Intergenerational Relations. In Fogel, R., Hatfield, E., Kiesler, S., and Shanas, E. (eds). Aging: Stability and Change in the Family (pp. 115–142). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Gladstone, James W. (1985). A Study of Grandparents Whose Children Have Separated or Divorced. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto.Google Scholar
Hagestad, Gunhild O. (1981). Problems and Promises in the Social Psychology of Intergenerational Relations. In Fogel, Robert, Hatfield, E., Kiesler, S., and Shanas, E. (eds). Aging: Stability and Change in the Family (pp. 11–46). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Johnson, Colleen Leahy. (1983). A Cultural Analysis of the Grandmother. Research on Aging, 5, 547–567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, Colleen L. (1985). Grandparenting Options In Divorcing Families, An Anthropological Perspective. In Bengtson, Vern L. and Robertson, Joan F. (eds). Grandparenthood (pp. 81–96). Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, Inc.Google Scholar
Kalish, Richard A., and Visher, Emily. (1981). Grandparents of Divorce and Remarriage. Journal of Divorce, 5, 127–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marshall, Victor W. (1980). No Exit. An Interpretive Perspective on Aging. In Marshall, Victor W. (ed). Aging in Canada (pp. 51–60). Toronto: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ltd.Google Scholar
Matthews, Sarah H., and Sprey, Jetse. (1984). The Impact of Divorce on Grandparenthood: An Exploratory Study. The Gerontologist, 24, 41–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosenthal, Carolyn J. (1986). The Differentiation of Multigenerational Households. Canadian Journal on Aging, 5, 27–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sprey, Jetse, and Matthews, Sarah H.(1982).The Impact of Divorce on Grandparenting.A revision of a paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America,Toronto.Google Scholar
Wallerstein, Judith S., and Kelly, Joan Berlin. (1980). Surviving the Breakup. How Children and Parents Cope with Divorce. New York: Basic Books, Inc.Google Scholar
Wilson, Karen Brown, and DeShane, Michael R. (1982). The Legal Rights of Grandparents: A Preliminary Discussion. The Gerontologist, 22, 67–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed