Intergenerational Ambivalences: Grandparents Rearing Grandchildren

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Intergenerational Ambivalences Grandparents
Rearing Grandchildren

• Bethany L. Letiecq, Ph.D.
• Department of Health Human Development

Generations United 14th Annual Conference
Washington, DC July 2007
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BACKGROUND

• 1990-2000 Montana saw a 53 increase in
  grandparents rearing grandchildren without a
  parent present
• 6,053 grandparents report they are responsible
  for their grandchildren living with them
• 61 are White
• 35 are American Indian (although make up 6 of
  MT total population)
• 70 are under the age of 60
• 20 live in poverty

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BACKGROUND

• Montana Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
  Project (MSU Extension)
• Support groups/therapeutic support groups
• Educational programs and training
• Bimonthly newsletter
• Montana resources guide
• Conferences
• Referrals to services
• State-level partnership that meets once a year

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BACKGROUND

• 2002 GRG survey
• Causes of grandparent caregiving in MT
• Methamphetamine addiction, alcohol abuse, mental
  illness, incarceration (among others)
• Most GRG households form as a result of familial
  crises
• Race, parental stress, length of time caregiving
  ? predictors of depression

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Purpose of Current Study

• Family reconfiguration takes its toll on
  grandparent caregivers, adult children, and
  grandchildren
• How do families cope and respond to familial
  changes?
• Are grandparent caregivers ambivalent about their
  role(s)?

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Intergenerational Ambivalence

• Ambivalence
• Being pulled in opposed directions
• Psychological ambivalence
• Sociological ambivalence
• Intergenerational Ambivalences
• Contradictions or dilemmas in relationships
  between parents and adult offspring (and
  grandchildren)
• Ambivalence irreconcilable, at least temporarily
• Neutral termnot seen as negative or pathological

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Intergenerational Ambivalence

• Lüscher (2002, 2004) proposed using a
  two-dimensional model
• Personal or subjective dimension
• Are family relationships experienced as
  converging or diverging?
• Institution-structural dimension
• Are members insisting on past form or structure
  (reproducing) or desiring dramatic change
  (innovating)?
• Combining two dimensions ? yields a four-field
  scheme or model

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Methods Sample Procedure

• N26 grandparents providing primary care of their
  grandchildren
• No biological parents living in the home
• Average length of time 5.5 yrs (range 4 mos -
  24 yrs)
• Family Life Histories
• Genograms
• 2-hour in-person interviews
• Interviews audio-taped, transcribed for coding

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Demographic Characteristics (N 26)

• Caregiver age ranged from 36 to 71 yrs (M56
  yrs)
• 10 grandfathers and 23 grandmothers interviewed
• 69 (n18) were married remainder single,
  separated, divorced, or widowed.
• Annual household incomes ranged from less than
  15,000 to more than 70,000.
• Nearly 35 (n12) of the households received some
  type of government assistance (e.g., TANF,
  Medicaid, food stamps).

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Methods Data Analysis

• Analytic induction approach
• Begin by examining the data in terms of
  theory-derived sensitizing concepts or applying
  an existing theoretical framework
• Deductive process
• Can simultaneously search for emergent patterns
• Inductive process

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Results Solidarity
James 54
Sue 46
John 17
Sandy 25
Andrew 8
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Results Emancipation
Roger 67
Marcy 64
Married 37 yrs
Will 36
Kendy
Kyle 10
Kristy 9
Kelly 14
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Results Atomization
Mike 36
Jane 41
Married 7 yrs
18
19
Tia 22
24
25
Sara 4 mo
Paul 5
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Results Captivation
Joe 60
Betsie 56
Married 35 yrs
Jack 33
Jesse 29
Britney 8
Jessica 6
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Conclusions

• Intergenerational ambivalences are fluid and can
  change with time
• Temporal dimension
• Other types of ambivalences experienced by
  members of complex, intergenerational family
  structures???
• How do we move beyond dyadic relationships to
  include multiple generations?
• Measurement issues

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Future Research Questions

• How do intergenerational ambivalences influence
  the quality of relationships within family
  systems?
• What factors predict familial convergence vs.
  divergence when resolving ambivalences?
  Reproduction vs. innovation?
• How are grandchildren affected when their primary
  caregiving grandparents are ambivalent?
• How might social services and other systems of
  care or family policies facilitate/hinder
  positive resolutions to intergenerational
  ambivalences?

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Contact Information

• Bethany Letiecq
• Department of Health Human Development
• Bozeman, MT 59717
• 406-994-7396
• bletiecq_at_montana.edu