Summary
Contents
Directed towards researchers and practitioners in family studies and gerontology, this completely revised Second Edition of Family Relationships in Later Life provides an innovative new collection of research-based descriptions on family relations of older people. Each chapter summarizes existing literature on the topic and provides up-to-date original research. Topics addressed include: sibling relationships in later life; widowhood; ethnic differences; elder abuse and mistreatment; family care; and health problems.
Grandparent and Grandchild Relationships
Grandparent and Grandchild Relationships
The increase in life expectancy has created new and extended roles for older adults. Today, more elderly individuals are experiencing grandparenthood than ever before. It has been estimated that 94% of all older adults with children are grandparents (Hooyman & Kiyak, 1988). As this phenomenon first tends to occur between the ages of 49 and 53 (Troll, 1983), most grandparents can expect to see their grandchildren, as well as themselves, move through several phases of the life cycle.
The passage to grandparenthood has been called a “countertransition” because it is brought about by the transition of another family member (Hagestad & Neugarten, 1985; Riley & Waring, 1976). While the specifics of this countertransition have received little attention in the ...