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Cited by 401Intergenerational Family Dynamics and CaregivingFamily Dynamics and RelationshipsAging, Elder Care, and Social Issues

A Profile Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren In The United States

Fuller-Thomson, E., Minkler, M., Driver, D.·1997·The Gerontologist
DOI 10.1093/geront/37.3.406
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Abstract

This article examines the prevalence of grandparent caregiving in the U.S. and presents a national profile of grandparent caregivers based on current data from the national Survey of Families and Households. More than one in ten grandparents are found to have cared for a grandchild for at least 6 months, with most of these having engaged in a far longer-term commitment. Although custodial grandparenting cuts across gender, class, and ethnic lines, single women, African Americans, and low income persons are disproportionately represented. Multivariate logistic analysis indicates that three groups--women, recently bereaved parents, and African Americans--have approximately twice the odds of becoming caregiving grandparents. Implications for further research, policy, and practice are discussed.

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  • One of the major limitations of prior studies on the effect of caregiving on grandparents' health is the use of cross-sectional health indicators or health change between two time points at best.

    “One of the major limitations of prior studies on the effect of caregiving on grandparents' health is the use of cross-sectional health indicators (Fuller-Thomson, Minkler, & Driver, 1997;Goodman & Silverstein, 2002;Pruchno & McKenney, 2002;Sands & Goldberg-Glen, 2000;Szinovacz & Davey, 2006) or health change between two time points at best (Bachman & Chase-Lansdale, 2005;Blustein et al., 2004;Hug”

    From The Health Implications of Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren in China (2012) · cites this paper as Fuller-Thomson, Minkler, & Driver, 1997

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  1. Abel, E. K. (1991). Who cares for the elderly? Public policy and the experi- ences of adult daughters. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
  2. Aldous, J. (1995). New views of grandparents in intergenerational context, Journal of Family Issues, 76(1), 104-122.
  3. Bengtson, V. L, & Silverstein, M. (1993). Families, aging, and social changes: Seven agendas for 21st century researchers. In Maddox, B. & Lawton, M. P. (Eds.), Kinship, aging, and social change: Annual review of gerontology and geriatrics (pp. 15-38). New York: Springer.
  4. Bengtson, V., Rosenthal, C, & Burton, L (1995). Paradoxes of families and aging. In R. H. Binstock and L. K. Ceorge, Handbook of aging and the social sciences, 4th ed. (pp. 253-282). San Diego: Academic Press.
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  6. Dowdell, E. B. (1995). Caregiver burden: Grandparents raising their high risk children. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing, 33(3), 27-30.
  7. Flaherty, M. J. (1988). Seven caring functions of black grandmothers in ado- lescent mothering. Maternal Child Nursing Journal, 17,191-207.
  8. Joslin, D., & Brouard, A. (1995). The prevalence of grandmothers as primary caregivers in a poor pediatric population. Journal of Community Health, 20(5), 383-401.
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  10. Roe, K. M., Minkler, M., Thompson, G., & Saunders, F. F. (1996). Health of grandmothers raising children of the crack cocaine epidemic. Medical Care, 34,1072-1084.
  11. Selzer, M. (1976). Suggestions for the examination of time-disordered rela- tionships. In J. F. Gubrium (Ed.), Time, roles and self in old age (pp. 111-125). New York: Human Sciences Press.
  12. Shor, R. J., & Hayslip, B. (1994). Custodial grandparenting: Implications for children's development. In Godfried, A. and Godfried, A. (Eds.), Re- defining families: Implications for children's development (pp. 171- 218). New York: Plenum.
  13. Sudarkasa, N. (1981). Interpreting the African heritage in Afro-American family organization. In H. P. McAdoo (Ed.), Black families (pp. 37-53).
  14. Thomas, J. L. (1990). The grandparent role: A double bind. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 31,169-171.
  15. Thomas, J. L. (1994). Older men as fathers and grandfathers. In E. H. Thompson, Jr. (Ed.), Older men's lives, vol. 6 (pp. 197-217). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  16. Troll, L (1983). Grandparents: The family watchdogs. In T. H. Brubaker (Ed.), Family relationships in later life. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.

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Authors
Fuller-Thomson, E., Minkler, M., & Driver, D.
Affiliations
University of California, Berkeley (US)
Venue
The Gerontologist
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
1997-06-01
Volume
37
Issue
3
Pages
406-411
ISSN
  • 0016-9013 (ISSN-L)
  • 1758-5341
DOI
10.1093/geront/37.3.406
OpenAlex
W2164700494
Cited by
401
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 8
FWCI
82.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • The Gerontologist (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues
Keywords
grandparenting, single women, African Americans, low-income households, bereaved parents, gender differences, ethnic differences, family caregiving
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Child, Child Rearing, Child, Preschool, Family, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, Middle Aged, Social Class, Multivariate Analysis, Logistic Models, Parenting, Intergenerational Relations, Caregivers

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