Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren: A Review of the Literature and Suggestions for Practice

An increasingly prevalent family constellation is a home headed by a grandparent who is raising grandchildren. We explore the state of our knowledge about such grandparents with particular attention to its implications for service providers and researchers. In our review we address several key areas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Gerontologist Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 262 - 269
Main Authors Hayslip, Bert, Kaminski, Patricia L
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Gerontological Society of America 01.04.2005
Subjects
Caregivers
Child
Child Rearing
Custodial Care
Education
Family Structure
Female
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Health Services Needs and Demand
Humans
Individual Characteristics
Intergenerational Relations
Male
Middle Aged
Parent Attitudes
Parenting Styles
Social Support
Social Support Groups
United States
United States
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Summary:An increasingly prevalent family constellation is a home headed by a grandparent who is raising grandchildren. We explore the state of our knowledge about such grandparents with particular attention to its implications for service providers and researchers. In our review we address several key areas: (a) the costs and benefits of raising a grandchild; (b) the heterogeneity of custodial grandparent caregivers; (c) the critical need for social support among custodial grandparents; (d) parenting practices and attitudes among grandparents raising grandchildren; and (e) helping efforts at multiple levels with custodial grandparents. We also discuss directions for research and practice concerning custodial grandparents.
ISSN:0016-9013
DOI:10.1093/geront/45.2.262