The Legacy of a Grandparent's Divorce: Consequences for Ties Between Grandparents and Grandchildren

Author: King V.

Source: Journal of Marriage and Family, Volume 65, Number 1, February 2003 , pp. 170-183(14)

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Abstract:

This study assesses the implications of divorce in the grandparent generation for grandparent-grandchild relationships. The sample of 538 grandparents comes from the Iowa Youth and Families Project. Results indicate that many aspects of grandparenting are negatively associated with ever experiencing a divorce. Some of the negative effects of divorce are explained by ever-divorced grandparents' greater geographic distance from, and weaker bonds to, their adult children. Negative effects of divorce are stronger for grandfathers and paternal grandparents. Furthermore, a good grandparent-parent relationship can compensate for the negative effects of a grandparent's divorce on relations with grandchildren. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of the increasing percentage of individuals moving into the later years who have experienced a divorce.

Keywords: divorce; grandchildren; grandparents; intergenerational relations; life course

Document Type: Regular article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00170.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, 211 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA 16802 ( ), Email: vking@pop.psu.edu

Publication date: 2003-02-01