Understanding Grandfamilies: Characteristics of Grandparents, Nonresident Parents, and Children

• Published in: Journal of marriage and family Vol. 78; no. 3; pp. 623 - 633
• Main Authors: Pilkauskas, Natasha V., Dunifon, Rachel E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.06.2016; The National Council on Family Relations; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Behavior Problems; Births; Brief Reports; Caregivers; Childrearing practices; Children; Children & youth; Disadvantaged; Educational attainment; Families & family life; Family structure; Fathers; fragile families; Grandchildren; grandfamilies; Grandparents; Households; Intergenerational relationships; Knowledge; Marital status; Mothers; noncustodial parents; Parents & parenting; Studies; Well being; United States > US; Fragile families; grandparents; grandfamilies; noncustodial parents
• ISSN: 0022-2445; 1741-3737
• DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12291

Using data from the Year 9 Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N ∼ 3,182), we investigated the characteristics grandfamilies (grandparents raising their grandchildren with no parent present, N = 84) and compared them to other key groups, including children's nonresident parents and other economically disadvantaged families with children. Results show that grandparents raising their grandchildren were generally better off in terms of educational attainment, marital status, and economic well-being than the child's parents. Grandparents raising their grandchildren also had characteristics very similar to other disadvantaged mothers. Academic and socioemotional well-being were poorer among children in grandfamilies compared with those living with their mothers, but parenting practices were very similar. These findings suggest that although children in grandfamilies may be at a disadvantage academically and socioemotionally, grandparent caregivers are in many ways similar to other fragile-family mothers. Overall, this study enhances our knowledge of an important yet understudied family type.