Turkish grandmothers' experiences of caring for their grandchildren: a qualitative study

• Published in: Early child development and care Vol. 190; no. 3; pp. 284 - 295
• Main Authors: Tezel Sahin, Fatma, Sahin, Betül Kübra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 17.02.2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Attitudes; Caregiving; Child Care; Child Rearing; Content analysis; Decision Making; experiences; Females; Foreign Countries; Grandchildren; Grandmothers; Grandparents; Interpersonal Relationship; Meaning; Mothers; Parenting Styles; Qualitative research; Women; Turkey
• ISSN: 0300-4430; 1476-8275
• DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2018.1469487

Grand motherhood is in some sense a universal role but its meaning varies greatly across countries and cultures: for instance, in terms of how grandmothers are involved in their grandchildren's lives. Therefore, this study examines 40 women's experiences of caring for their grandchildren in Turkey. Data were collected through a semi-structured Grandmother Interview Protocol designed by the researchers, and content analysis conducted to establish concepts and relationships that explained the data. The sampled grandmothers usually used positive expressions to describe caring for their grandchildren. Half said they had decided for themselves to take on this role, while the other half reported that this decision was taken jointly with the children's parents, or in response to a sense of obligation. Nearly all the grandmothers stated that they mostly did caring activities with their grandchildren during the day. Half said that caring for their grandchildren did not affect them, while the other half said it influenced them either positively or negatively. When the participants talked about the strategies they used to raise their grandchildren, they focused on the differences and similarities between the practices of their own and their grandchildren's parents, as well as on the details of their own practices as mothers and grandmothers. More than half of the grandmothers in this study said they received support from people around them as they raised their grandchildren.