Impact of the child-parent relationship on affectual solidarity between grandchildren and grandparents : the perspective of young adults

The purpose of this quantitative research was to examine the ways that the parent-child bond influences affectual solidarity between college-aged adults and their grandparents. This study sought to overcome flaws of prior research in this area by further exploring how several dimensions of intergenerational solidarity between young adults and each of their parents (i.e., joint activities, global relationship quality, and probability of discussing problems) affect grandchildren\u27s feelings of closeness to each of their living grandparents. In addition, the present research explored the impact of such factors as lineage, gender of the grandparent and of the grandchild on the grandchild-grandparent relationship. The present study used secondary analysis of data from the second wave of the National Survey of Families and Households. The sample consisted of 1,090 children age 18-23. This study was grounded in the theory of intergenerational solidarity and the kin-keeping perspective. In general, it was expected that the better the relationship young adults had with their mothers, the closer they would feel to their maternal grandmothers/grandfathers. The same was anticipated for the influence of the child-father relationship on closeness to paternal grandmothers/grandfathers. It was also predicted that the effect of the child-parent bond on grandchildren\u27s closeness to their grandparents would be different for granddaughters and grandsons. The present research found some support for the notion that mothers as well as fathers can enhance young adults\u27 relationships with their maternal and paternal grandparents, respectively. The findings indicated that stronger ties between young adults and their mothers led to closer relationships between grandchildren and their maternal grandmothers/grandfathers. In addition, the more young adults were involved in their relationships with their fathers, the closer they felt to their paternal grandmothers/grandfathers. The child-mother and child-father relationships were found to have a different effect on closeness to maternal and paternal grandparents for granddaughters and grandsons. Moreover, the results showed that the grandchild-grandparent relationship might be influenced not only by grandparents\u27 biological child but also by their child-in-law. These findings have implications for future research and for family professionals

Household Structure and Children's Educational Attainment: A Perspective on Coresidence with Grandparents

Children from alternative households complete fewer years of schooling. Yet little is known about the implications of coresidence with grandparents for educational attainment. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 10,083), this study found that extended households with two biological parents were not detrimental to high school completion or college enrollment. Although coresidence with grandparents did not compensate for not living with two biological parents, it seemed to be beneficial for the educational attainment of youth from single-mother households. In contrast, skipped-generation households were associated with a persistent disadvantage for educational attainment. Limited socioeconomic resources partially accounted for the adverse effects of alternative households, whereas parenting quality did not explain these effects. Interactions of gender by household structure suggested that stepfather households could have negative consequences for high school completion and college enrollment only for girls