Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2024
Grandparent Alienation: A Mixed Method Exploration of Life Satisfaction and Help-Seeking Experiences of Grandparents Alienated From Their Grandchildren
Grandparent alienation is an intentional behavior in which a parent turns a child against a grandparent through emotional manipulation of the child. In this study, we explored alienation behaviors experienced, life satisfaction, relationship status, and help-seeking experiences of 551 adults who identified as alienated grandparents. Analysis included ANOVA, regression analysis, correlation, and thematic analysis of all participants’ responses to an open-ended question addressing help seeking. Life satisfaction was negatively affected by the number of alienating behaviors experienced. Grandchild brainwashing and withholding information about grandchildren significantly predicted life satisfaction in this sample as did relationship status and participant age. Thematic analysis revealed two main themes related to participants’ help-seeking experiences with counselors: (1) their yearning for support was satisfied through validation, coping skill acquisition, and engaging with an empathic listener, and (2) they experienced disappointment and frustration through clinician lack of experience and understanding. Implications and best practices for counselors are provided.
AvieliH.LevyI. (2023). “I feel erased:” A qualitative analysis of grandparent experiences of parental alienation. Family Relations, 72(3), 976–992. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12704
2.
BlakeL.BlandB.GolombokS. (2015). Hidden voices: Family estrangement in adulthood. Centre for Family Research at University of Cambridge.
BoundsO.MatthewsonM. (2023). Parental alienating behaviours experienced by alienated grandparents. Journal of Family Issues, 44(12), 3250–3272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X221126753
5.
BraunV.ClarkeV. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. Sage Publications.
6.
CoxS. J. (2020). Grandparent and third-party visitation rights: A 50 state survey. Children’s Legal Rights Journal, 40(2), 76–98.
7.
DahlC. M.BossP. (2020). Ambiguous loss: Theory-based guidelines for therapy with individuals, families, and communities. In WamplerK. S.RastogiM.SinghR. (Eds.), The handbook of systemic family therapy (Vol. 4, pp. 127–151). Wiley Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119788409.ch6
8.
DienerE.EmmonsR. A.LarsenR. J.GriffinS. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13.
DienerE.SuhE. M.LucasR. E.SmithH. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276–302. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276
11.
DienerE.TayL. (2017). A scientific review of the remarkable benefits of happiness for successful and healthy living. In AdlerA.UnanueW.OsinE.AlkireS. (Eds.), Happiness: Transforming the Developmental Landscape (Vol. 6, pp. 90–117). The Centre for Bhutan Studies and GNH.
12.
DorryJ.BurkC. L.StertzA. M.WieseB. S. (2023). Longing for grandparenthood: Its association with life satisfaction in late middle adulthood. Psychology and Aging, 38(4), 333–344. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000723
13.
DrewL. M.SilversteinM. (2007). Grandparents’ psychological well-being after loss of contact with their grandchildren. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(3), 372–379. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.21.3.372
14.
EdmondsW. A.KennedyT. D. (2016). An applied guide to research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Sage Publications.
15.
FaulF.ErdfelderE.BuchnerA.LangA.-G. (2009). Statistical power analyzes using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41(4), 1149–1160. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
16.
FaulF.ErdfelderE.LangA.-G.BuchnerA. (2007). G*power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193146
17.
GoldJ. M. (2015). Intergenerational attachments in stepfamilies: Facilitating the role of the step-grandparents. The Family Journal, 23(2), 194–200. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480715572979
18.
GollyC. H. (2016). Pruning the family tree: The plight of grandparents who are alienated from their grandchildren. The Journal of Aging and Social Change, 7(2), 21–31. https://doi.org/10.18848/2160-1909/CGP/v07i02/21-31
19.
GollyC. A. (2019). Grandparents Cut Off from Grandchildren: An Exploratory Study (Doctoral dissertation), Barry University.
20.
HarmanJ. J.KrukE.HinesD. A. (2018). Parental alienating behaviors: An unacknowledged form of family violence. Psychological Bulletin, 144(12), 1275–1299. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000175
21.
HumphreyK. M. (2009). Counseling strategies for loss and grief. American Counseling Association.
22.
JappensM.Van BavelJ. (2019). Relationships with grandparents and grandchildren’s well-being after parental divorce. European Sociological Review, 35(6), 757–771. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcz033
KaiserM.OtterbachS.Sousa-PozaA. (2022). Using machine learning to uncover the relation between age and life satisfaction. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 5263. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09018-x
25.
KepicM. (2021). Blindsided by COVID-19: Endeavoring Through Unexpected Death-Related Loss. The Advocate Magazine, a Publication of the American Mental Health Counselor Association, 44(2), 16–19.
26.
LeeK. (2024). Validation of the satisfaction with life scale for Korean older adults using item response theory. Journal of Health Psychology, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053241233461
27.
LeimerB.van EwijkR. (2022). Are grandchildren good for you? Well-being and health effects of becoming a grandparent. Social Science & Medicine, 313(November, 2022), 115392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115392
28.
LincolnY.GubaE. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
29.
MackenzieC. S.ScottT.MatherA.SareenJ. (2008). Older adults’ help-seeking attitudes and treatment beliefs concerning mental health problems. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 16(12), 1010–1019. https://doi.org/10.1097/JGP.0b013e31818cd3be
NeimeyerR. A. (2005). Widowhood, grief, and the quest for meaning: A narrative perspective on resilience. In CarrD.NeesR. M.WortmanC. B. (Eds.), Late-life widowhood in the United States (pp. 227–252). Springer.
33.
Nelson-KakullaB. (2019). 2018 Grandparents Today National Survey: General Population Report. AARP. https://2018 Grandparents Today National Survey (aarp.org)
34.
NeugartenB. L.HavighurstR. J.TobinS. S. (1961). The measurement of life satisfaction. Journal of Gerontology, 16(2), 134–143. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronj/16.2.134
35.
NowellL. S.NorrisJ. M.WhiteD. E.MoulesN. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet thetrustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
PurolM. F.KellerV. N.OhJ.ChopikW. J.LucasR. E. (2021). Loved and lost or never loved at all? Lifelong marital histories and their links with subjective well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(5), 651–659. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1791946
39.
ReczekR.StaceyL.ThomeerM. B. (2023). Parent–adult child estrangement in the United States by gender, race/ethnicity, and sexuality. Journal of Marriage and Family, 85(2), 494–517. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12898
40.
ReynoldsK. A.MackenzieC. S.MedvedM.DudokS.KovenL. (2023). Older adults’ mental health information preferences: A call for more balanced information to empower older adults’ mental health help-seeking. Ageing and Society, 43(12), 2845–2874. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X21001896
41.
ShearM. K. (2012). Grief and mourning gone awry: Pathway and course of complicated grief. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 14(2), 119–128. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2012.14.2/mshear
42.
SmithP. H.DelgadoH. (2020). Working with non-death losses in counseling: An overview of grief needs and approaches. Adultspan Journal, 19(2), 118–127. https://doi.org/10.1002/adsp.12100
43.
Stevens-RatchofordR. (2011). Longstanding occupation: The relation of the continuity and meaning of productive occupation to life satisfaction and successful aging. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 35(2), 131–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/01924788.2011.574255
44.
TeoK.ChurchillR.RiadiI.KervinL.WisterA. V.CoscoT. D. (2022). Help-seeking behaviors among older adults: A scoping review. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 41(5), 1500–1510. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648211067710
45.
Westrick-PayneK. K. (2023). Prevalence of grandparenthood in the U.S., 2021. Family Profile, FP-23-02. National Center for Family & Marriage Research (NCFMR). https://doi.org/10.25035/ncfmr/fp-23-02
46.
WoodsM.KirkD.AgarwalS.AnnandaleE.ArthurT.HarveyJ.HsuR.KatbamnaS.OlsenR.SmithL.RileyR.SuttonA. (2005). Vulnerable groups and access to health care: A critical interpretive review (Vol. 27). National Coordinating Centre NHS Service Delivery Organ RD (NCCSDO).
