Alan C. Taylor

Grandfather Involvement and aging men's mental health.

The mental health of aging men is an understudied social issue. Although it is widely accepted that meaningful family relationships are associated with fewer depressive symptoms and greater positive affect, scholars have largely overlooked relationships between grandfathers and grandchildren as being beneficial to men’s mental health. This study investigates the differences in the depressive symptoms and positive affect of 351 grandfathers. Using a cluster analytic technique, participants were categorized as involved, passive, and disengaged based on their frequency of contact, level of commitment, and participation in activities with grandchildren. Comparative analyses indicate that involved grandfathers had fewer depressive symptoms than disengaged grandfathers. Involved grandfathers had significantly higher scores on positive affect than disengaged grandfathers, and passive grandfathers had significantly higher scores on positive affect than disengaged grandfathers. This study provides evidence that grandfather–grandchild relationships influence aging men’s mental health. Implications for practitioners working with aging men are discussed.

Grandfather Involvement: Contact Frequency, Participation in Activities, and Commitment

Notwithstanding the recent growth in scholarship about grandparents and the sustained interest in fatherhood, there has been limited attention paid to the study of grandfathers. Few strides have been made to understand grandfathering behaviors and attitudes, and little is known about the relationships grandfathers develop and maintain with grandchildren. We suggest one reason for this trend is the lack of theoretical and conceptual groundwork needed to assist scholars engaged in grandparent-grandchild research. To address this issue, we propose the construct grandfather involvement and define it as having three critical components: Contact frequency, participation in activities, and commitment. These components have been previously explored in the grandparent literature and in other literatures as essential elements of the development of meaningful and healthy relationships. Until now, however, they have not been formulated into a usable framework. Having a clear definitional understanding of grandfather involvement will allow scholars to utilize the concepts to increase empirical and theoretical scholarship on grandfathers.

Gender Differences and Communication Technology Use Among Emerging Adults in the Initiation of Dating Relationships

For many emerging adults, initiating and developing a romantic relationship is likely to be very different from the experiences of previous generations. Many studies address the abundant use of technology among young adults in virtually every aspect of their lives. Few studies, however, have investigated the use of communication technology and its impact on how relationships are discovered, initiated, and maintained among this group. Researchers collected data from 1,003 young adults (ages 18–25 years) through an online survey about communication technology use and dating behaviors. Results were analyzed using chi-square tests to assess for differences between groups. Findings suggest significant differences between men and women and their use of communication technology during the initiation of dating relationships. Additionally, young adults believe that “talking,” “hanging out,” and “sharing intimate details” are more important when compared with using communication technologies to establish a relationship. The information yields valuable understanding about the role communication technology plays in the intimate relationship development of emerging adults.

Positive Affect and Depressive Symptoms: What Dimensions of Grandfather Involvement Matter?

ABSTRACT The mental health of middle-aged and older men is an understudied dimension of human development that has implications for grandfathers’ involvement in the lives of their grandchildren. Grandfather involvement is defined as the degree of engagement in the process of building and maintaining relationships with grandchildren and comprises the concepts of participation in activities, commitment, and contact frequency. Using structural equation modeling techniques, two models are tested exploring how grandfather involvement is associated with positive affect and depressive symptoms, two aspects of mental health.

Activities That Strengthen Relational Bonds Between Latter-day Saint Grandfathers and Their Adult Grandchildren

Using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight Latter-day Saint (LDS) grandfathers and their adult grandsons and adult granddaughters regarding actions they implemented to build and maintain their relational bonds. Both grandfathers’ grandchildren were found to be highly involved in intergenerational relationship-building activities, although gender differences were found among grandsons and granddaughters. Four overall themes emerged as specific activities that promoted closeness within intergenerational relationships. The first three themes included (1) engaging in frequent contact; (2) serving one another; and (3) being a part of a conversational family. The fourth theme specifically involved the infusion of LDS religious principles incorporated into relational-building activities. Implications and future research directions are also discussed.

Training Considerations for MFTs in Couple and Financial Counseling

Evidence suggests that many couples attending marital therapy report that financial concerns have a significant impact on their distress. Despite the complaint, many Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) training programs do not offer courses that teach therapists how to properly address financial concerns as a part of their training or curriculum, leaving many practitioners unaware of the processes associated with remediating the distress. The authors address the concepts of financial literacy and financial problems, and suggest a training curriculum to guide therapists in decisions about treating financial concerns for couples. Suggestions of future research and core competencies are discussed.

Family Life Education in the United States

Family life education (FLE) is a growing area of family practice in the United States. This chapter provides a broad overview of FLE in the United States including demographic and societal trends that shape FLE programs. Program content, family life educator qualifications, and program implementation including approaches, settings, and modes of delivery are discussed. Examples of FLE programs are included throughout the chapter to illustrate the breadth of FLE programs and practices in the United States.

Variations in grandfathering: characteristics of involved, passive, and disengaged grandfathers

ABSTRACT Grandfather involvement is comprised of three constructs, namely, contact frequency, intergenerational commitment, and participation in activities, and refers to grandfathers’ efforts to develop and maintain relationships with grandchildren. From these, recent research has identified three distinct grandfathering typologies or styles, including, involved, passive, and disengaged. In this study, we use multinomial logistic regression to explore which and the degree that background features, characteristics of the family and the grandfather–grandchild relationship, and the health and wellness of the grandfather are factors in determining the grandfathering style of a sample of 351 grandfathers. Results indicate that household income, grandfather agreeableness, geographic distance from the grandchild, age of the grandchild, and the quality of and satisfaction with the relationship with the grandchild are contributing factors to being categorised as an involved and active grandfather.

Osteoporosis Knowledge and Health Beliefs Among Men in Midlife Years

Objective: To examine the role of socioeconomic variables on middle‐aged adult mens knowledge and health beliefs about osteoporosis. Methods: An anonymous survey used validated scales to assess osteoporosis knowledge and health beliefs in a sample of 262 men aged 36–55 years. Descriptive and group‐differences statistics (MANOVA and ANOVA) were used. Results: Total osteoporosis knowledge was low (mean, 11.1 of 22) and mean scores on perceived susceptibility and seriousness health belief domains were also low: 13.2 and 17.2, respectively out of 30. Multivariate ANOVA revealed that perceived seriousness, barriers to calcium intake, and health motivation varied significantly with level of formal education attained (P < .05). There was no significant difference with income. Conclusions and Implications: Results of this convenience sample of predominantly white men found that level of osteoporosis knowledge and perceived susceptibility were low. Given the increased prevalence of osteoporosis‐related fracture in men, methods to increase knowledge and awareness are needed.

Global Perspectives on Family Life Education: Synthesis and Future Directions

Throughout this book, each set of authors has encouraged readers to gain a better understanding of how family life education is perceived and accomplished in each of the highlighted countries. While various educational practices unique to each country’s cultural and political/economic situation have been highlighted, several themes have emerged to exemplify just how similar or congruent some of the educational practices that have been implemented throughout the world are. In this concluding chapter, we felt it important to highlight some of these overarching themes.