Despite the fact that caregiving related issues are well researched in the field of family gerontology, the developmental experiences of grandchildren caregivers and the meanings of their caregiving experiences have not been explored. Influenced by the lifespan perspective and a constructionism lens, interviews were conducted with 17 grandchildren (ages 21 to 29 years old) who were currently providing care for a grandparent. Grandchildren cargivers reported that filial obligation and preparing for the future were how they made sense of their role. Grandchildren experienced benefits and costs from their caregiving role and developed coping mechanisms that allowed them to be successful caregivers. Professionals should include grandchildren in established caregiver support programs to recognize the generational needs of grandchildren caregivers in their 20s.
Allen, K. R. (1989). Single women/family ties: Life histories of older women. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
2.
Allen, K. R., Blieszner, R., & Roberto, K. A. (2000). Families in the middle and later years: A review and critique of research in the 1990s. Journal of Marriage and the Family62, 911-926.
3.
Allen, K. R., & Walker, A. J. (2000). Qualitative research. In C. Hendrick & S. S. Hendrick (Eds.), Close relationships: A sourcebook (pp. 19-30). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
4.
Baltes, P. B. (1979). Life-span developmental psychology: Some converging observations on history and theory. In P. B. Baltes & O. G. Brim, Jr. (Eds.), Life-span development and behavior (Vol. 2, pp. 255-279). New York: Academic Press.
5.
Baltes, P. B. (1987). Theoretical propositions of life-span developmental psychology: On the dynamics between growth and decline. Developmental Psychology23, 611-626.
6.
Baltes, P. B. (1993). The aging mind: Potential and limits. The Gerontologist33, 580-594.
7.
Baltes, P. B., & Smith, J. (1999). Multilevel and systemic analyses of old age: Theoretical and empirical evidence for a forth age. In V. L. Bengtson & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of theories of aging (pp. 153-173). New York: Springer.
8.
Baum, M., & Page, M. (1991). Caregiving and multigenerational families. The Gerontologist31, 762-769.
9.
Beach, D. L. (1997). Family caregiving: The positive impact on adolescent relationships. The Gerontologist37, 233-238.
10.
Bengtson, V. L., & Allen, K. R. (1993). The life course perspective applied to families over time. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. Larossa, W. R. Schumm, & S. K. Steinmentz (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 469-498). New York: Plenum.
11.
Bengtson, V. L., Rosenthal, C., & Burton, L. (1990). Families and aging: Diversity and heterogeneity. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences(3rd ed., pp. 263-287). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
12.
Bengtson, V. L., Rosenthal, C., & Burton, L. (1996). Paradoxes of families and aging. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbookof aging and the social sciences (4th ed., pp. 253-282). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
13.
Biegel, D. E., Sales, E., & Schulz, R. (1991). Family caregiving in chronic illness: Heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and chronic mental illness. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
14.
Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (1998). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theory and methods (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
15.
Brody, E. M. (1989).The family at risk. In E. Light & B. D. Lebowitz (Eds.), Alzheimer's disease treatment and family stress: Directions for research (pp. 2-49). Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health.
16.
Brody, E. M. (1990). Women in the middle: Their parent-care years. New York: Springer.
17.
Crimmins, E. M., & Ingegneri, D. G. (1990).Interactionand living arrangementsof older parents and their children. Research on Aging12, 3-35.
18.
Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social science research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
19.
Daly, K. (1992). The fit between qualitative research and characteristics of families. In J. F. Gilgun, K. Daly, & G. Handel (Eds.), Qualitative methods in family research (pp. 3-11). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
20.
Dellmann-Jenkins, M., Blankemeyer, M., & Pinkard, O. (2000). Young adult children and grandchildren in primary caregiver roles to older relatives and their service needs. Family Relations49,177-186.
21.
Dilworth-Anderson, P., Williams, S. W., & Cooper, T. (1999). Family caregiving to elderly African Americans: Caregiver types and structures. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences54, 237-241.
22.
Dunham, C. C., & Bengtson, V. L. (1986). Conceptual and theoretical perspectives on generational relations. In N. Datan, A. L. Greene, & H. W. Reese (Eds.), Life-span developmental psychology: Intergenerational relations (pp. 1-28). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
23.
Foundation for Accountability & The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2003). A portrait of informal caregivers in America, 2001. Portland, OR: Foundation for Accountability.
24.
Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. New York: Basic Books.
25.
Hareven, T. K. (1982). The life course and aging in historical perspective. In T. K. Hareven & K. J. Adams (Eds.), Aging and life course transitions: An interdisciplinary perspective(pp. 1-26). New York: Guilford.
26.
Hareven, T. K. (Ed.). (1996). Aging and generational relations over the life course: A historical and cross-cultural perspective. New York: Walter de Gruyter.
27.
Hennessy, C. H., & John, R. (1996). American Indian family caregivers' perceptions of burden and needed support services. Journal of Applied Gerontology15, 275-293.
28.
Hodgson, L. G. (1987). The graying grandchild: Some personal observations. Perspectives on Aging16(2), 20-23.
29.
Hodgson, L. G. (1998). Grandparents and older grandchildren. In M. E. Szinovacz (Ed.), Handbook on grandparenthood (pp. 171-183). Westport, CT: Greenwood.
30.
Hultsch, D. F., & Plemons, J. K. (1979). Life events and life-span development. In P. B. Baltes & O. G. Brim, Jr. (Eds.), Life-span development and behavior (Vol. 2, pp. 1-36). New York: Academic Press.
31.
Kinsella, K. (1996). Aging and the family: Present and future demographic issues. In R. Blieszner & V. H. Bedford (Eds.), Aging and the family: Theory and research (pp. 32-56). Westport, CT: Preager.
32.
Merriam, S. B. (1995).What can you tell from an N of 1? Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research. PAACE Journal of Lifelong Learning4, 51-60.
33.
Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
34.
National Family Caregivers Association. (2003, January). Family caregiving statistics.Retrieved January 28, 2003, from http://www.nfcacares.org/
35.
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
36.
Penrod, J. D., Kane, R. A., Kane, R. L., & Finch, M. D. (1995). Who cares? The size, scope, and composition of the caregiver support system. The Gerontologist35, 489-497.
37.
Piercy, K. W. (1998). Theorizing about family caregiving: The role of responsibility. Journal of Marriage and the Family60, 109-118.
38.
Piercy, K. W., & Chapman, J. G. (2001). Adopting the caregiver role: A family legacy. Family Relations50, 386-393.
39.
Pyke, K. D., & Bengtson, V. L. (1996). Caring more or less: Individualistic and collectivist systems of family eldercare. Journal of Marriage and the Family58, 379-392.
40.
Rosenberg, H. G. (1997). Compliant discourse, aging and caregiving among the ju/'hoansi of Botswana. In J. Sokolovsky (Ed.), The cultural context of aging (pp. 33-55). Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey.
41.
Sanborn, B., & Bould, S. (1991). Intergenerational caregivers of the oldest old. Marriage & Family Review16, 125-142.
42.
Seidman, I. (1998). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College.
43.
Shifren, K. (2001). Early caregiving and adult depression: Good news for young caregivers. The Gerontologist41, 188-190.
44.
Sokolovsky, J. (1997). Aging, family and community development in a Mexican peasant village. In J. Sokolovsky (Ed.), The cultural context of aging (pp. 191-217). Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey.
45.
Sörensen, S., & Zarit, S. H. (1996). Preparation for caregiving: A study of multigeneration families. International Journal of Aging and Human Development42, 43-63.
46.
Stephens, M. A. P., & Franks, M. M. (1999). Intergenerational relationships in later-life families: Adult daughters and sons of caregivers to aging parents. In J. C. Cavanaugh & S. K. Whitbourne (Eds.), Gerontology: An interdisciplinary perspective (pp. 329-354).New York: Oxford University Press.
47.
Stephens, M. A. P., Franks, M. M., & Townsend, A. L. (1994). Stress and rewards in women's multiple roles: The case of women in the middle. Psychology and Aging9, 45-52.
48.
Townsend, A. L., & Franks, M. M. (1997). Quality of the relationship between elderly spouses: Influence on spouse caregivers' subjective effectiveness. Family Relations46, 33-39.
49.
Weibel-Orlando, J. (1997). Grandparenting styles: The contemporary American Indian experience. In J. Sokolovsky (Ed.), The cultural context of aging (pp. 139-155). Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey.
50.
Winton, C. A. (2003). Children as caregivers: Parental & parentified children. Boston: Pearson Education.
