The Influence of Grandparents in Single-Mother Families

Authors: Dunifon, Rachel; Kowaleski-Jones, Lori¹

Source: Journal of Marriage and Family, Volume 69, Number 2, May 2007 , pp. 465-481(17)

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing

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Abstract:

This article examines whether children living with single mothers benefit when they also live with a grandparent, using data from the 1979 to 2002 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth merged mother-child file (N = 6,501). Results indicate that for White children, living with a single mother and a grandparent is associated with increased cognitive stimulation and higher reading recognition scores, compared to living with a single mother alone. For Black children, grandparent coresidence is associated with less cognitive stimulation. Thus, in some instances, living with a grandparent can benefit children, but the pattern of results differs by race.

Keywords: children; family structure; grandparents; race; single parent

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00377.x

Affiliations: 1: University of Utah

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