ADJUSTMENT AND FAMILY FUNCTIONING OF GRANDMOTHERS REARING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN

The adjustment and family functioning of grandmothers who were rearing one or more of their grandchildren were examined in two studies. One study used the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the Family Assessment Device. There were no differences between guardian and non-guardian grandmothers on the seven FAD scales, but guardians were higher on the DAS Dyadic Cohesion and lower on Dyadic Consensus. The second study used a 4-hour individual, structured interview to identify personal adjustment difficulties and coping strategies resulting from having to rear a grandchild. Results indicate that guardian grandparent families frequently may provide therapeutic challenges and that they have the potential to provide unique insights into transgenerational family processes.