Active Grandparents Leave Legacy Of Strong Family Ties

10-3-97
University Park, Pa. -- Actively supportive grandparents can create a legacy of involvement for their grandchildren and future generations.

"Our data indicates that individuals who were connected with their own grandparents and saw their grandparents in intergenerational terms tend to invest more time, energy and resources in their grandchildren," says Dr. Valarie King, assistant professor of sociology and human development at Penn State.

They take part in more activities with their grandchildren, are more inclined to furnish money and other forms of material assistance, are more likely to play the role of mentor and companion, feel they know their grandchildren better and are more likely to talk with their grandchildren about problems and future plans, she adds.

King, a faculty member in the Colleges of the Liberal Arts and Health and Human Development, and Dr. Glen H. Elder, Jr., professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and fellow of the Carolina Population Center, are co-authors of the article, "The Legacy of Grandparenting: Childhood Experiences with Grandparents and Current Involvement with Grandchildren," scheduled to appear in the November issue of the Journal Of Marriage And The Family.

"The rise in teenage childbearing, single parenting and divorce has resulted in increased numbers of older Americans becoming active caregivers in regard to their children and grandchildren," King says. "Thus, the societal role of grandparents has taken on new and critical meaning in recent years."

Merely sharing a household with a grandparent does not constitute by itself a strong influence and, therefore, does not affect how people will later relate to their own grandchildren, according to King, a research associate with the University's Population Research Institute.

"On the other hand, grandparents with a strong sense of the history of their own grandparents are more likely than others to influence their grandchildren as co-participants in activities, providers of financial support and mentors and counselors," King says.

She notes, however, that "Many people have had brief, superficial relationships with some or all of their grandparents yet they may still love and enjoy their grandchildren. Our research focuses on the degree of involvement grandparents have in their grandchildren's lives and how this partially reflects the degree to which they were influenced by their own grandparents."

The study by King and Elder was based on recent interviews with 662 grandparents in a rural section of Iowa.

**pab**

EDITORS: Dr. King can be contacted at (814) 863-8716 (office) or at vking@pop.psu.edu by email.

Contacts:
Paul Blaum (814) 865-9481 (office), e-mail: pab15@psu.edu
Vicki Fong (814) 865-9481 (office), e-mail: vyf1@psu.edu