The study’s purpose was to describe the experience of young grandmothers in families with teen mothers. Cross-sectional surveys and phone interviews were conducted with a multiethnic sample of 25 mothers or guardians of teen mothers enrolled in an urban high school. Participants and their daughters completed measures of mother-daughter conflict, self-esteem, and motherdaughter relationships. Adescriptive thematic analysis was conducted with grandmothers’ transcribed responses to open-ended interview questions. 69% of grandmothers rated their overall relationship with their daughters as positive, and 46% indicated an improved relationship since the birth of the baby. Areas of mother-daughter conflict included childrearing decisions, time with friends, household chores, and teens’ choices/priorities. Interview data revealed themes of identity confusion in young grandmothers, the many stresses of early grandparenthood, pride and joy in grandchildren, family social support, and limited coping resources. Community and home-based multigenerational parent support interventions may address some of these grandmothers’ concerns.
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