The Experiences of African American Grandmothers in Grandparent-Headed Families

Grandparents raising their grandchildren in parent-absent homes are an increasing family structure. A myriad of family and societal problems create the need for the grandparent to assume caregiving responsibilities, including child maltreatment, parental substance abuse, and poverty. Although grandp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Family journal (Alexandria, Va.) Va.), 2011-01, Vol.19 (1), p.73-82
Main Author: Kelch-Oliver, Karia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
African cultural groups
Black American people
Caregivers
Caregiving
Carers
Child abuse & neglect
Child poverty
Children
Families & family life
Family
Family Structure
Family Violence
Gender
Grandchildren
Grandmothers
Grandparent-Grandchild relationships
Grandparents
Intergenerational relationships
Kinship care
Low Income Groups
Parents
Parents & parenting
Poverty
Socioeconomic Status
Substance abuse
Urban areas
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Grandparents raising their grandchildren in parent-absent homes are an increasing family structure. A myriad of family and societal problems create the need for the grandparent to assume caregiving responsibilities, including child maltreatment, parental substance abuse, and poverty. Although grandparent-headed families (GHF) are represented across racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups, single, low-income African American grandmothers from urban environments experience this family structure in disproportionately higher rates. Due to their higher prevalence, and the relative lack of attention in the existing literature, African American grandmother caregivers are the focus of this research. The present study is an exploratory study of the qualitative experiences of African American grandmothers who are the primary caregivers of their grandchildren. Individual interviews were conducted with 6 grandmother caregivers, revealing 5 major themes. Results are discussed, and directions for future research and implications for counselors working with GHF are presented.
ISSN:1066-4807
1552-3950
DOI:10.1177/1066480710388730