Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T09:35:49.724Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Edward Kruk
Affiliation:
The University of British Columbia

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.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahrons, C.R. (1987). Divorced families: Meeting the challenge of divorce and remarriage. New York: Norton.Google Scholar
Ahrons, C.R., & Bowman, M.E. (1982). Changes in family relationships following divorce of the adult child: Grandmother's perceptions. Journal of Divorce, 5, 49–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andreiuk, G. (1994). Access to our grandchildren: Court-ordered access. Ottawa: Canadian Association on Gerontology.Google Scholar
Bengtson, V.L., & Robertson, J.F. (Eds.). (1985). Grandparenthood. Beverly Hills: Sage.Google Scholar
Cherlin, A., & Furstenberg, F.F. (1985). Styles and strategies of grandparenting. In Bengtson., V.L. & Robertson, J.F. (Eds.), Grandparenthood. Beverly Hills: Sage.Google Scholar
Furstenberg, F., Nord, C.W., Paterson, J.L., & Zill, N. (1983). The life course of children of divorce: Marital disruption and parental contact. American Sociological Review, 48, 56668.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gladstone, J.W. (1987). Factors associated with changes in visiting between grandmothers and grandchildren following an adult child's marital breakdown. Canadian Journal on Aging, 6(2), 117127.Google Scholar
Gladstone, J.W. (1989). Grandmother-grandchild contact: The mediating influence of the middle generation following an adult child's marital breakdown. Canadian Journal on Aging, 8(4), 355365.Google Scholar
Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine.Google Scholar
Ingulli, E.D. (1985). Grandparent visitation rights: Social policies and legal rights. West Virginia Law Review, 87, 295334.Google Scholar
Johnson, C.L. (1988). Active and latent functions of grandparenting during the divorce process. The Gerontologist, 28(2), 185191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalish, R.A., & Visher, E. (1982). Grandparents of divorce and remarriage. Journal of Divorce, 5(1/2), 127140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kivnick, H.Q. (1982). Grandparenthood: An overview of meaning and mental health.The Gerontologist, 22, 5966.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kornhaber, A., & Woodward, K.L. (1981). Grandparents/grandchildren: The vital connection. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday.Google Scholar
Kruk, E. (1991). Discontinuity between pre- and post-divorce father-child relationships: New evidence regarding paternal disengagement. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 16(3/4), 195227.Google Scholar
Matthews, S.H., & Sprey, J. (1984). The impact of divorce on grandparenthood: An exploratory study. The Gerontologist, 24(1), 4147.Google Scholar
Robertson, J.F. (1975). Interaction in three generational families, parents as mediators: Toward a theoretical perspective. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 6,103110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, G. (1982). Deciphering sociological research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spicer, J.W., & Hampe, G.D. (1975). Kinship interaction after divorce. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 37(1), 113119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, R.A., Scalora, M.J., Limber, S.P., & Castrianno, L. (1991). Grandparent visitation rights: A psycholegal analysis. Family and Conciliation Courts Review, 29(1), 925.Google Scholar
Wallerstein, J.W., & Kelly, J. (1980). Surviving the breakup: How children and parents cope with divorce. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Wilson, K.B., & Deshane, M.R. (1982). The legal rights of grandparents: Preliminary discussion. The Gerontologist, 22(1), 6771.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, V., & Robertson, J. (1976). The significance of grandparenthood. In Gubrium, J. (Ed.), Time, roles, and self in old age. New York: Human Sciences Press.Google Scholar