Shirley Strom

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.

Building a Theory of Grandparent Development.

A theory of grandparent development is described that includes the formulation of assumptions, goals for guiding instruction, curriculum design, and a measurement tool to assess learning needs and evaluate the effects of educational intervention. Cultural considerations are illustrated by a three generational study of African-American (n = 777), Caucasian (n = 1086), and Hispanic (n = 672) subjects who were administered the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. Perceptions of each generation about the attitudes and behaviors of grandparents were examined with multivariate analysis of variance and post-hoc comparisons to analyze the scores, confirm results, and facilitate interpretation of findings. Results showed significant differences between generations and within cultures. Each generation identified elements of grandparent success as well as issues that deserve consideration in building educational programs.

Grandparents raising grandchildren: goals and support groups

More grandparents are raising grandchildren than ever before. Success in overcoming their unique problems requires that grandparents be optimistic and adjust to their new role; learn about child and adolescent development in todays society; cooperate with the parent who shares responsibility for providing care; monitor social and academic development; become aware of available services, obligations, and rights; and obtain periodic relief from the demands of the role. Full‐time grandparents often rely on support groups for advice and comfort. The merits of this approach are identified, along with ways to improve group interaction by encouraging hopeful attitudes and constructive behavior, setting guidelines for discussion, emphasizing communication with family members, and making education the basis for grandparent development.

INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING: GRANDPARENTS IN THE SCHOOLS

Schools can no longer rely on mothers as the primary source of volunteers. Retired persons, most of whom are grandparents, have become the largest group of helpers for teachers in the classroom. When this new partnership is viewed in a creative way, the needs of schools and grandparents can be met. Guidelines are offered to educators for arranging the conditions needed to support the successful and sustained involvement of volunteers in the school. Many grandparents want to improve their influence and relationships in their families as well as their communities, so classes for them should be offered at schools where they volunteer. An education program for grandparents that has been field‐tested and adapted to meet the needs of culturally diverse families is described, and recommendations for establishing similar initiatives are offered.

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.

Meeting the Challenge of Raising Grandchildren.

More grandparents are raising grandchildren than ever before. The predictable problems they experience include a revision of personal goals; learning how growing up has changed since they raised their own children; cooperating with the parent who shares responsibility for child care; monitoring social and academic progress of children; becoming aware of rights and available social services; and arranging periodic relief from the daily demands of their surrogate obligations. Full-time grandparents often rely on support groups for comfort and advice. The advantages and limitations of this approach are examined. Recommendations are made for ways to improve how support groups function so they can achieve their purposes.

Intergenerational Perceptions of English Speaking and Spanish Speaking Mexican-American Grandparents

Hispanics are facing a number of problems, such as poverty, hunger, and a high dropout rate at school. Health-care reform and changes in Medicaid and Medicare are bound to further challenge the resiliency of minority families. To strengthen families from within, relevant programming should be implemented. Information regarding the strengths and needs of Mexican-American grandparents was obtained in order to adapt existing grandparenting programs for this population. Mexican-American grandparents (n = 181), parents (n = 148), and grandchildren (n = 173) provided information on grandparent satisfaction, success, teaching, difficulty, frustration, and information needs. Multivariate analyses of variance found differences for English and Spanish speaking grandparents. Spanish speaking grandparents reported a greater need for information than English speaking grandparents, and more frustration when dealing with adolescents than with younger children. For the English speaking grandparents, all of the generations agreed that grandparents under the age of sixty-one experienced more frustration than their older counterparts, and those who spent more than five hours a month with their grandchildren were more effective in their role. Possible factors that account for the findings are discussed and recommendations for establishing a grandparent program are presented.

Parent Competence in Families with Gifted Children.

This study examined parent influence as perceived by gifted junior high school students and their parents. Ninety-three adolescents reported on 171 parents; self-reports were provided by 172 parents. Both generations were administered parallel versions of the Parent Strengths and Needs Inventory which identifies (a) aspects of parenthood that are satisfying, (b) ways in which parents successfully perform their role, (c) the scope of teaching expected of parents, (d) problems with the obligations of parenting, (e) child behaviors which are upsetting to parents, and (f) information parents need to function more effectively. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine the effects of generation of respondent, gender of parent, and child school performance on parent effectiveness, Analyses revealed significant main effects for all three independent variables. Interaction effects emerged for school performance and parent gender. Implications are considered for planning parent education programs.

Grandparents and Learning

The educational needs of grandparents have been overlooked. They deserve access to a curriculum that can help them adjust to their changing role and illustrate how to build satisfying family relationships. In order to identify appropriate topics and instructional procedures for grandparent education, weekly meetings were held for a semester with 400 grandmothers and grandfathers. The resulting program includes experiences in sharing feelings and ideas with peers; listening to the views of younger people; studying lifespan growth and adjustment; acquiring intergenerational communication skills; and focusing self-evaluation. A field test involving several hundred participants, equally divided into experimental and control groups, is underway to determine the worthwhileness of this approach to family development.

Preparing Grandparents for a New Role

Intergenerational programs are well established, but there is a void of educational support for grandparents. A series of discussions were held with 400 grandparents to identify learning needs associated with their changing family role. Outcomes were used to formulate a curriculum for helping grandparents become more influential and respected family members. Elements of the described curriculum include sharing feelings and ideas, listening to child perspective, studying life-span development, encouraging mutual storytelling, developing questioning skills, and focusing self-evaluation. When all aspects of the program are judged to be suitable, an experimental study is planned to determine whether grandparents can benefit from family-oriented education.