Understanding Grandfamilies: Characteristics of Grandparents, Nonresident Parents, and Children

• Author: Rachel E. Dunifon,Natasha V. Pilkauskas
• Published date: 01 June 2016
• Date: 01 June 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12291

N V. P University of Michigan

R E. D Cornell University∗

Understanding Grandfamilies: Characteristics

of Grandparents, Nonresident Parents, and Children

Using data from the Year 9 Fragile Families

and Child Wellbeing Study (N∼3,182), we

investigated the characteristics grandfami-

lies (grandparents raising their grandchildren

with no parent present, N=84) and compared

them to other key groups, including children’s

nonresident parents and other economically

disadvantaged families with children. Results

show that grandparents raising their grand-

children were generally better off in terms of

educational attainment, marital status, and

economic well-being than the child’s parents.

Grandparents raising their grandchildren also

had characteristics very similar to other dis-

advantaged mothers. Academic and socio-

emotional well-being were poorer among chil-

dren in grandfamilies compared with those

living with their mothers, but parenting prac-

tices were very similar. These ndings suggest

that although children in grandfamilies may be

at a disadvantage academically and socioemo-

tionally, grandparent caregivers are in many

ways similar to other fragile-family mothers.

Overall, this study enhances our knowledge of

an important yet understudied family type.

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Universityof

Michigan, 735 S. State Street, Ann Arbor,MI 48109

(npilkaus@umich.edu).

∗Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell

University,248 MVR Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853.

Key Words: fragile families, grandfamilies, grandparents,

noncustodial parents.

In 2013, approximately 2.2% of U.S. children

lived in a household consisting of a grandpar-

ent and grandchild but no parent, referred to

here as a grandfamily (authors’ tabulations from

the American Community Survey). Some stud-

ies document the characteristics, strengths, and

challenges of grandfamilies (e.g., Cox, 2000).

Missing, however,is an analysis of how the char-

acteristics and well-being of those in grandfami-

lies, including the nonresident parents, compare

to those in other families. We provide a detailed

comparison of how grandparent caregivers com-

pare with the child’s nonresident parents and

with other parents of similar socioeconomic

backgrounds, and we examine the well-being of

children in grandfamilies utilizing a wide range

of high-quality measures of child well-being

from multiple reporters.

Wedo so using data from the Fragile Families

and Child Wellbeing Study (FF), addressing the

following questions: What are the characteris-

tics of individuals in grandfamilies, including

grandparents, nonresident mothers, and non-

resident fathers, and how do they compare to

other economically disadvantaged families with

children? How does the well-being of children

in grandfamilies compare to that of children

in other, similarly economically disadvantaged

households? In addressing these questions,

our study provides key information not only

to researchers but also to policy makers and

practitioners. This analysis is situated in the

theoretical perspectives of life course theory

and particularly the notion of kinscripts, which

emphasizes that families are complex systems in

Journal of Marriage and Family 78 (June 2016): 623–633 623

DOI:10.1111/jomf.12291