Dianne Griswold

Grandparents in the United States and the Republic of China: A Comparison of Generations and Cultures

Grandparent behaviors in the United States and the Republic of China are examined to identify curriculum themes for helping them adjust to their changing role. The 3,286 non-consanguineous subjects included Chinese (n = 751), African Americans (n = 777), Caucasian Americans (n = 1,086), and Mexican Americans (n = 672). Analyses were performed using 1) Generation with three levels (grandparent, parent, and grandchild) and 2) Culture with four levels (Chinese, African American, Caucasian American, and Mexican American). The results revealed significant differences in perceptions about grandparents across cultures as well as between generations within cultures. All three generations reported grandparent strengths and needs. Specific guidelines and curriculum topics are recommended for education to support grandparent development.

Strengths and Needs of Black Grandparents

This study was conducted to identify ethnic differences in grandparent performance and effectiveness so that an educational program called Becoming A Better Grandparent could be adapted to maximize its relevance for Black families. MANOVA procedures were used to compare perceptions of 204 Anglo grandparents and 204 Black grandparents as well as 175 Anglo and 295 Black grandchildren. Black grandparents perceived themselves more favorably than did Anglos on every subscale of the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. Black grandchildren assigned grandparents significantly more favorable ratings for teaching and overall success, whereas Anglo grandchildren assigned their grandparents higher scores for coping with difficulty, managing frustration, and meeting information needs. Analyses of grandparent responses revealed significant main effects for age of grandparent, age of grandchild, time spent together, and geographical proximity. Grandchildren responses yielded significant main effects for age of grandchild and time spent together. Findings showed interaction effects for ethnicity by age of grandparent, ethnicity by age of grandchild, and ethnicity by distance. Implications for modifying the program to fit Black grandparents were identified.

Black grandparents : Curriculum development

The performance of Black grandparents was examined to determine the most suitable content for an educational program intended to assist them in their role. A sample of 626 non-consanguineous subjects included 204 grandparents, 128 parents, and 294 grandchildren. Each generation group completed a separate version of the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory to identify the favorable qualities of grandparents and aspects of their relationships in which further growth was necessary. A combination of multivariate analysis of variance procedures, univariate analysis of variance tests, and t-tests were used to analyze scores, confirm results, and assist with interpretation of data. All groups described aspects of grandparents success and made known specific realms of learning that grandparents should acquire in order to become more effective. Analysis of the responses revealed significant main effects for generation, gender of grandchild, age of grandchild, and amount of time that grandparent and grandchild spent together. Considerations were identified for improving grandparent influence and guiding the development of grandparent education programs.

African American Mothers of Early Adolescents Perceptions of Two Generations

This study sought to determine how 271 African American mothers of 10- to 14-year-olds viewed their strengths and limitations as parents and to detect how 292 children from this age group perceived the parent performance of their mothers. Significant generational differences were found in four of six scales and 30 of 60 items on the Parent Success Indicator. The independent variable with the greatest influence on how both generations saw parent success was the amount of time they spent together.

Maternal Guidance of Adolescents: An African-American Perspective

This study sought to determine how 271 African-American mothers of 10-to 14-year-old children perceived their strengths and limitations as parents, and detect how 292 children from this age group perceived the parent performance of their mothers. Significant generational differences were found in 4 of 6 subscales and 30 of 60 items on the Parent Success Indicator (PSI). The variable that had the greatest influence on how both generations viewed parent success was the amount of time they spent together.

Strengths and Learning Needs of African American Fathers

The purpose of this study was to determine how African-American fathers of 10- to 14-year-olds viewed their strengths and learning needs as parents and to find out how children in this age group perceived the parent performance of their fathers. The Parent Success Indicator (PSI) was completed by 102 fathers and 104 adolescents. Significant differences were found between generations on 5 of 6 scales and 26 of 60 items. Independent variables with the greatest effect on how both generations viewed parent success were: amount of time father and child spent together, having an adult at home when the child returned from school, and gender of child. Recommendations were made for the content themes of a parent curriculum to address the learning needs of these fathers.

Assessing the strengths and needs of minority parents

The Parental Strengths and Needs Inventory was administered to 60 Black mothers and their preadolescent children. Most of the mothers, despite a lower than average income, formal schooling and family stability enjoyed being parents, successfully performed the tasks expected of them, and effectively taught essential lessons about life. In the estimate of themselves and their children, these mothers qualify as good parents. Both generations identified similar and differing aspects of maternal behaviour that should be improved. Youngsters contradicted their mothers regarding how well the adults handled certain problems associated with childrearing. Significant differences between the groups were obtained for some of the inventory items, with children commonly assigning lower ratings to the mothers than mothers assigned to themselves. Becoming adequately informed about the growing up experience of individual sons and daughters was identified by both generations as the mothers’ most prominent weakness. The fin...