Grandmothers raising grandchildren: managing, balancing and maintaining family relationships

ABSTRACT

Most grandparents raising grandchildren are embedded in a network of family members who either help them carry out the caregiving task or complicate that role. This study examined how grandmothers described family relationships, that is, with the grandchild’s parents, grandmother’s spouses/partners, and other relatives. Data were drawn from 457 weekly journal entries submitted by 129 grandmother caregivers. Using thematic analysis, a three-person team coded using NVIVO 12. Grandmothers described three overarching relationship themes: managing conflicted relationships with the grandchild’s parents, balancing relationships with their spouse/partner, and maintaining relationships with other relatives. Implications for practice are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Grandmothers
• family relationships
• journals
• thematic analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

GIFT: Grandmother Initiatives in Family Transformation NINR 5R01-NR015999-02