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Grandparent-Grandchild Contact Loss: Findings from a Study of “Grandparent Rights” Members

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Edward Kruk
Edward Kruk
Affiliation:
The University of British Columbia
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Abstract

Discontinuity of grandparent-grandchild relationships has been largely overlooked in social science research, despite the fact that the salience of the grandparent grandchild attachment bond is the subject of considerable discussion. This article reports the results of an exploratory study of grandparent-grandchild contact loss, by means of a survey of the core membership of five “grandparent rights” groups across Canada. As reflected in the particular concerns of this membership, there are four primary circumstances associated with grandparent loss of contact with grandchildren: parental divorce, conflict with both parents, death of adult child, and stepparent adoption following remarriage. Grandparents whose adult children are noncustodial parents (mostly paternal grandparents) are at high risk for contactloss, and adult children-in-law appear to be the primary mediators in the ongoing grandparent-grandchild relationship. Disrupted grandchild access is seen as having profound negative consequences for grandparents, and this has important implications for socio-legal policy and therapeutic practice.

Résumé

L'interruption des relations entre les grands-parents et les petits-enfants n'a pas suscité beaucoup d'attention dans le cadre des recherches en sciences sociales et ce, en dépit du fait que l'importance évidente des liens d'attachement entre le grand-parent et le petit-enfant fasse l'objet de nombreuses discussions. Cet article présente les résultats d'une étude exploratoire sur la perte du contact entre grands-parents et petits-enfants réalisée au moyen d'un sondage mené à travers le Canada aupès des principaux membres de cinq groupes préconisant les droits des grands-parents. Comme les préoccupations de ces groupes de grands-parents l'indiquent, il existe quatre principales séries de circonstances associées à la rupture du contact avec les petits-enfants, soit le divorce des parents, un conflit avec les deux parents, la mort d'un enfant adulte et l'adoption de beaux-parents à la suite d'un remariage. Les grands-parents dont les enfants adultes sont des parents sans la garde de leurs enfants (dans la plupart des cas il s'agit des grands-parents paternels) risquent le plus de perdre le contact avec leurs petits-enfants, et les beaux-enfants adultes semblent être les principaux médiateurs dans la relation continue entre les grands-parents et les petits-enfants. L'interruption de l'accès aux petits-enfants est perçu comme ayant de graves conséquences pour les grands-parents, et cette situation influence grandement les politiques socio-juridiques et la pratique thérapeutique.

Keywords

GrandparentsGrandchildrenAdult ChildrenAccessContact LossGrands-parentspetits-enfantsenfants adultesaccesperte de contact
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 14 , Issue 4 , Winter/hiver 1995 , pp. 737 - 754
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1995

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