Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2023-8
From Supportive to Strained: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Emerging Adults’ Characterizations of Past and Present Grandparent-Grandchild Roles and Relationships
Though many emerging adults now have the opportunity to engage meaningfully with their grandparents, few studies have examined emerging adults’ perceptions of grandparent relationships and the roles taken on by grandparents and grandchildren. Informed by theories of psychosocial development, intergenerational solidarity, and sociocultural learning, this mixed methods study draws on closed- and open-ended survey items to explore emerging adults’ (N=52) characterizations of their relationships with grandparents in the United States. Results highlight the roles assumed by grandparents and emerging adult grandchildren often mirror each other, taking on instrumental, relational, and guiding qualities. The relationship itself was often described as a bond that is simultaneously punctuated by obstacles limiting close connections (e.g., geographic distance, challenging family dynamics). These findings suggest grandparent-grandchild relationships, both past and present, hold salience for emerging adults; researchers and practitioners should consider broader family systems when considering grandparent-grandchild relationships and their impact on individual development.
AARP (2018). AARP 2018 National Survey on Grandparenting: General population annotation. American Association of Retired Persons. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.26419/res.00289.002
2.
AgateJ. R.AgateS. T.LiechtyT.CochranL. J. (2018). “Roots and wings”: An exploration of intergenerational play. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 16(4), 395–421. https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2018.1489331
3.
AquilinoW. S. (2006). Family relationships and support systems in emerging adulthood. In ArnettJ.TannerJ. L. (Eds), Emerging adults in America: Coming of age in the 21st century (pp. 193–217). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11381-008
4.
ArnettJ. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
5.
BangerterL. R.WaldronV. R. (2014). Turning points in long distance grandparent– grandchild relationships. Journal of Aging Studies, 29(4), 88–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2014.01.004
6.
BarnettM. A.ScaramellaL. V.NepplT. K.OntaiL.CongerR. D. (2010). Intergenerational relationship quality, gender, and grandparent involvement. Family Relations, 59(1), 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2009.00584.x
7.
BarrettA. E.GundersonJ. (2021). Grandparent–adult grandchild relationships: Development of a typology using latent class analysis. The Gerontologist, 61(5), 724–734. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa092
BuchananA.RotkirchA. (2018). Twenty-first century grandparents" Global perspectives on changing roles and consequences. Contemporary Social Science, 13(2), 131–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/21582041.2018.1467034
10.
CarrD.UtzR. L. (2020). Families in later life: A decade in review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 82(1), 346–363. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12609
11.
Coleman-ReedF. V.Nelson-GardellD. (2021). Grandparent caregivers: Promoting positive life satisfaction. The International Journal of Health, Wellness, and Society, 11(1), 159–170. https://doi.org/10.18848/2156-8960/CGP/v11i01/159-170
12.
CreswellJ. W.Plano ClarkV. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
13.
DuflosM.GiraudeauC. (2021). If She’s Sad, I’m Sad Too” emotional closeness between French grandparents and emerging adult grandchildren: Between emotional bonding and emotional worries. Emerging adulthood. 11(1), 3–14. Advance online publicationhttps://doi.org/10.1177/21676968211054606
14.
DuflosM.GiraudeauC. (2022). Using the intergenerational solidarity framework to understand the grandparent–grandchild relationship: A scoping review. European Journal of Ageing, 19(2), 233–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-021-00626-6
15.
DunifonR.BajracharyaA. (2012). The role of grandparents in the lives of youth. Journal of Family Issues, 33(9), 1168–1194. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X12444271
16.
DunifonR. E.NearC. E.Ziol‐GuestK. M. (2018). Backup parents, playmates, friends: Grandparents' time with grandchildren. Journal of Marriage and Family, 80(3), 752–767. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12472
17.
ErdemG.SafiO. A. (2018). The cultural lens approach to Bowen family systems theory: Contributions of family change theory. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 10(2), 469–483. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12258
18.
EriksonE. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). Norton.
GlesneC. (2016). Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction. Pearson.
21.
GloynL.CreweV.KingL.WoodhamA. (2018). The ties that bind: Materiality, identity, and the life course in the "things" families keep. Journal of Family History, 43(2), 157–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363199017746451
22.
HankK.CavriniG.Di GessaG.TomassiniC. (2018). What do we know about grandparents? Insights from current quantitative data and identification of future data needs. European Journal of Ageing, 15(3), 225–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-018-0468-1
HendryL. B.KloepM. (2007). Conceptualizing emerging adulthood: Inspecting the emperor’s new clothes?Child Development Perspectives, 1(2), 74–79. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2007.00017.x
25.
HuoM.KimK.ZaritS. H.FingermanK. L. (2018). Support grandparents give to their adult grandchildren. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 73(6), 1006–1015. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbw208
26.
JesselJ.KennerC.GregoryE.RubyM.ArjuT. (2011). Different spaces: Learning and literacy with children and their grandparents in east London homes. Linguistics and Education, 22(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2010.11.008
27.
KellyC. (2015). Let's do some jumping together": Intergenerational participation in the use of remote technology to co-construct social relations over distance. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 13(1), 29–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X12468121
28.
KempC. L. (2007). Grandparent-Grandchild ties: Reflections on continuity and change across three generations. Journal of Family Issues, 28(7), 855–881. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X07299599
29.
KennedyG. E. (1990). College students' expectations of grandparent and grandchild role behaviors. The Gerontologist, 30(1), 43–48. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/30.1.43
LeBaronA. B.HillE. J.RosaC. M.MarksL. D. (2018). Whats and hows of family financial socialization: Retrospective reports of emerging adults, parents, and grandparents. Family Relations, 67(4), 497–509. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12335
32.
LeBaronA. B.MarksL. D.RosaC. M.HillE. J. (2020). Can we talk about money? Financial socialization through parent–child financial discussion. Emerging Adulthood, 8(6), 453–463. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696820902673
33.
MaloneBeachE. E.HakoyamaM.ArnoldS. (2018). The good grandparent: Perspectives of young adults. Marriage and Family Review, 54(6), 582–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2017.1414724
34.
ManssonD. H. (2020). Grandchildren’s perceptions of grandparents’ use of relational maintenance behaviors. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 91(2), 127–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415019852776
35.
ManssonD. H.DuflosM.GiraudeauC. (2022). Comparing US and French grandparent-grandchild relationships. Communication Research Reports, 39(1), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2021.2001324
36.
MiguelI.AraújoA. M.FernandesS.CarneiroL.FernandesP. (2021). Are perceptions of grandparenthood related to family and life satisfaction? A study with emerging adults. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(4), 1152–1171. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407520981152
37.
MonserudM. A. (2011). Changes in grandchildren's adult role statuses and their relationships with grandparents. Journal of Family Issues, 32(4), 425–451. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X10384466
38.
MoormanS. M.StokesJ. E. (2016). Solidarity in the grandparent-adult grandchild relationship and trajectories of depressive symptoms. The Gerontologist, 56(3), 408–420. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnu056
39.
MuellerJ.ForanH. (2020). Social engagement technologies and their use among grandparents and adult grandchildren. European Journal of Public Health, 30(Supplement_5), 261. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.705
40.
OliveiraC.FonsecaG.SoteroL.CrespoC.RelvasA. P. (2020). Family dynamics during emerging adulthood: Reviewing, integrating, and challenging the field. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 12(3), 350–367. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12386
41.
PrattM. W.NorrisJ. E.HebblethwaiteS.ArnoldM. L. (2008). Intergenerational transmission of values: Family generativity and adolescents' narratives of parent and grandparent value teaching. Journal of Personality, 76(2), 171–198. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00483.x
42.
ReinkeJ. S.WalcheskiM. J. (2015). Family life education: The practice of family science. National Council on Family Relations.
43.
SaldañaJ. (2015). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage Publications.
44.
ScharfM. (2016). Maturing and aging together: Emerging adult grandchildren-grandparents relationships. In ArnettJ. J. (Ed), The oxford handbook of emerging adulthood (pp. 203–212). Oxford University Press.
45.
SciplinoC.KinshottM. (2019). Adult grandchildren’s perspectives on the grandparent-grandchild relationship from childhood to adulthood. Educational Gerontology, 45(2), 134–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2019.1584354
46.
ShoreyS.NgE. D. (2022). A social-ecological model of grandparenting experiences: Asystematic review. The Gerontologist, 62(3), 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa172
47.
StephanA. (2021). Intergenerational learning in the family as an informal learning process: Areview of the literature. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 19(4), 441–458. https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2020.1817830
48.
TanskanenA. O.DanielsbackaM. (2018). Multigenerational effects on children's cognitive and socioemotional outcomes: A within-child investigation. Child Development, 89(5), 1856–1870. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12968
49.
ThieleD. M.WhelanT. A. (2006). The nature and dimensions of the grandparent role. Marriage and Family Review, 40(1), 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1300/J002v40n01_06
VygotskyL. (1978). Mind in society. Harvard University Press.
52.
WetzelM.HankK. (2020). Grandparents’ relationship to grandchildren in the transition to adulthood. Journal of Family Issues, 41(10), 1885–1904. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X19894355
53.
WoodD.CrapnellT.LauL.BennettA.LotsteinD.FerrisM.KuoA. (2018). Emerging adulthood as a critical stage in the life course. In HalfonN.ForrestC. B.LernerR. M.FaustmanE. M. (Eds), Handbook of life course health development (pp. 123–143). Springer.
54.
ZilkaG. C. (2020). Аlways with them: Smartphone use by children, adolescents, and young adults—characteristics, habits of use, sharing, and satisfaction of needs. Universal Access in the Information Society, 19(1), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-018-0635-3
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
