• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.93-109
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• 2015

This study explores interpretations of grandmothers' experiences rearing their grandchildren. For this study, 13 participants provided in-depth interview data, which was analyzed according to Spradely's ethnographic method. Based on the pattern of interpretations, nine concepts were classified into three categories: (i) repentance (compulsive decisions, passivity of the childrearing activity, non-compensation); (ii) sorrow (restrictions on everyday life, renunciation of occupational careers, worsened health); and (iii) satisfaction (decreased isolation in old age, proof of existence for their children, intimacy development with their grandchild). The results of this study show that grandmothers have a higher appreciation for the benefits of relational compensation than for personal cost. Some practical implications are suggested to improve family welfare.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.219-236
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• 1992

The purpose of the study are to investigate the effects of the bond between grandmother and grandchild and the degree of cohesion between child in adolescence and their parents on adolescent's ego identity. The major findings are as follows. First, a level of adolesent's ego identity is moderate on the whole. Not only the degree of the cohesion between children in adolescence and parent is high, but also the bond between children in adolescence and grandmother is high. Second, adolescent's ego identity is associated with cohesion with their parent. The research also shows that adolescent's ego identity is influenced by the relationship between grandchild and grandmother. Finally, the important factors on ego identity of the adolescent who are living with their grandmothers are the degree of the cohesion with father, grandmother-parent relationships, the degree of the cohesion with mother, and occupational status of mother. Those who are not living with grandmothers, the degree of the cohesion with their mothers and the bonds with grandmothers have significant influences on adolescent's ego identity.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.914-923
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• 2007

Purpose: This qualitative study aimed to identify the common, lived experiences of grandmothers who cared for their grandchildren as the primary caregivers. Methods: This study was based on the phenomenological method described by Colaizzi (1978). Results: Seven theme clusters emerged from the data as follows: "grandmother caregivers accept the parenting role of the incessant responsibilities and the distrust of non-kin caregivers.", "grandmother caregivers have a double maternal roles; an instrument-oriented maternal role to their own child and relationship-oriented maternal role to their grandchild.", "grandmother caregivers are partially authorized to make decisions in the matters of their grandchild.", "grandmother caregivers suffer a deterioration in their health by an acceleration of the aging process.", "caregiving causes grandmother caregivers to feel a sense of social isolation, and persue various coping strategies to control this feeling.", "grandmother caregivers have a greater feeling of self-esteem, but they often conflict with their adult children if they don't feel appreciated by them.", "grandmother caregivers have limited social support and their health issues are often overlooked in the family context.' Conclusion: The results of this study can guide nurses and health care workers to understand the experiences of grandmother caregivers and to implement individualized nursing interventions suited for them.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.23-34
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• 2004

This study was conducted to identify the characteristics of paternal and maternal grandmothers' social support, and to investigate the relationship between paternal and maternal grandmothers' social support and their school-aged grandchildren's psychological adaptation. The participants of this study were 215 students in the 5th and 6th grades and their mothers residing in Daegu. Collected data were analyzed using t-test, paired t-test, ANOV A, Scheffe's test, and hierarchical multiple regression. Findings of this study are as follows: 1. School-aged children perceived that their maternal grandmothers rendered more emotional and informational support than their paternal grandmothers. 2. Paternal grandmother's social support as perceived by the grandchild varied significantly with the frequency of face-to-face contact, the frequency of phone contact, and the friendship between the paternal grandmother and the mother. Maternal grandmother's social support as perceived by the grandchild, on the other hand, varied significantly by the level of grandmother's education, the frequency of face-to-face contact, and the frequency of phone contact. 3. Perceived paternal and maternal grandmothers' social support had indirect impacts on grandchildren's depression, which was mediated by their mothers' parenting.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.69-84
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to compare the grandmothers' role performance toward their grandchildren in the elementary school between working and nonworking mother families. The subjects were 274 grandparent-grandchild pairs. The structured questionnaires, from both grandmothers and grandchildren were collected in 2001. Using statistical techniques such as factor analysis, t-test, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression analysis, the major findings were as fellows: 1) The level of the grandmothers' role performance is moderate in general. However, the grandmothers in working mother families perform surrogate mother roles more strongly than the grandmothers in nonworking mother families.2) While contact between grandmother and grandchild is associated with the grandmother's role performance in working mother families, the grandmother's age and the closeness between grandmother and mother are related to the level of the grandmother's role performance in nonworking mother families. In conclusion, the grandmothers' role performance in working mother families was found to be more important in the supporting system than in nonworking mother families.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.17-30
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• 2016

This study was conducted to make a policy proposal for Korean grandparent-grandchildren families, analyzing what adversities adolescent grandchildren suffer when living in a grandparent-grandchild family, the types of Korean families and how family resilience appears as family power. In order to conduct this study, 20 consenting adolescents were selected for an interview from grandparent-grandchildren families recommended by the U City Healthy Family Support Center. This study suggests the following conclusions. First, we discussed divorce, death, financial bankruptcy related stress, economic difficulties in the present family, accidents involving family members of a grandparent-grandchild family, grandparents' serious disease, death, family conflicts and family comparisons with friends. Second, in the domain of family resilience, desire to maintain the family appeared as a Korean value. In addition, efforts to bond as an emotional family and grandchildren's attitudes of gratitude to grandparents are also expressed. However, family conversation appears weak due to the generation gap between adolescents and grandparents or complications from family stress. Third, the resilience in the family organization appeared weak since there are relatively insufficient socio-economic resources to support the family. This study makes several suggestions for family policies and shows the necessity to develop policies that reflect the needs of grandchildren and grandparents.

• 한국노년학
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.693-709
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• 2016

This study was to investigate depressive symptoms of caregiving grandmothers in South Korea and related factors focusing on caregiving characteristics. The data were drawn from the fourth wave of Korean Longitudinal Study on Ageing (KLoSA). The study participants were 3,291 grandmothers who had at least one grandchild, and we limited our analysis to 127 grandmothers who had provided care for their grandchild(ren) during the past one year. As for the depressive symptoms, Center for Epidemiological Survey-Depression 10(CES-D 10) short version were applied. Caregiving characteristics including caregiving duration by weeks per year, caregiving hours per week and the number of grandchildren who received grandmother care were examined. A multiple logistic regression was performed to detect association between caregiving characteristics and depressive symptoms while adjusting for general socioeconomic characteristics and health status of caregiving grandmothers. The longer duration of caregiving lowered the depressive symptoms and in contrast, those who spent more hours for providing care to their grandchildren were more exposed to the depressive symptoms. Physical pain significantly increased their depressive symptoms and low income level were more likely to induce depressive symptoms. More detailed studies on grandchild caregiving patterns among grandmothers were needed. Also, tailored support policy and services should be considered to alleviate their burden and depression in the future.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.24 no.5 s.83
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• pp.53-68
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• 2006

This study examines Korean and American undergraduate students' intimacy toward the grandmother and their attitudes toward the elderly and aging. The study also identifies the variances that influence undergraduate students' attitudes. The subjects were 397 Korean and 364 America undergraduates. Statistical analysis was conducted to examine frequency, percentage, meat standard deviation, Cronbach's ${\alpha}$, t-test, Duncan test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression. The results of this study were as follows; 1) Both Korean and American undergraduates' attitudes were mid-range, but their intimacy level toward their grandmother was high. 2) The Korean undergraduates' intimacy level differed significantly according to sex and religion, and it showed a significant correlation with attitudes toward the elderly and aging traits, when the student had lived with and had frequent contact with the grandmother. The American undergraduates' intimacy level, however, was significantly different according to the presence of the grandmother. There was also had a significant correlation with the undergraduate students' attitudes toward the elderly and aging traits, frequency of contact with the grandmother and year. 3) The variables that affect the Korean undergraduates' intimacy level toward the grandmother were attitude, cohabitation with her, gender, frequency of contact with the grandmother, and religion, which explained about 21% of total variance. Attitudes toward the elderly and aging traits were very important variables for Korean undergraduates' intimacy with their grandmother. The American undergraduates' intimacy was affected by the variables of attitude, frequency of contact with the grandmother, year, and the presence of the grandmother, which explained about 19% of the total variance. Attitude toward the elderly and aging traits were the most important variables for American undergraduates' intimacy with their grandmother.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.479-490
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• 2007

This study examines undergraduate students' intimacy toward the grandmother and their attitudes toward the elderly and aging. The study also identifies the variances that influence undergraduate students' intimacy toward the grandmother. The subjects were 397 undergraduates. Statistical analysis was conducted to examine frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Cronbach's ${\alpha}$, t-test, Duncan test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression. The results of this study were as follows; 1) The undergraduates' attitudes were mid-range, but their intimacy level toward their grandmother was high. 2) The undergraduates' intimacy level toward the grandmother differed significantly according to gender, experience of cohabitation, the presence of her, and religion, and it showed a significant correlation with attitudes toward the elderly and aging traits, period of cohabitation, and frequent contact with the grandmother. The undergraduates' intimacy level toward grandmother-in-low, however, was significantly different according to the religion. There was also had a significant correlation with the undergraduate students' attitudes toward the elderly and aging traits. 3) The variables that affect the undergraduates' intimacy level toward the grandmother were attitude, frequency of contact with the grandmother, gender, period of cohabitation, experience of cohabitation, and the presence of the grandmother, which explained about 35% of total variance. Attitudes toward the elderly and aging traits were very important variables for undergraduates' intimacy with their grandmother. The undergraduates' intimacy toward grandmother-in-low was affected by the variables of attitude, religion, experience of volunteer, frequency of contact with the grandmother, gender, and the presence of grandmother, which explained about 24% of the total variance. Attitude toward the elderly and aging traits were the most important variables for undergraduates' intimacy with their grandmother-in-low.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.419-439
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• 2012

Family dissolution and economic difficulties of the grandchild's parents are the most prevailing reason for an increase of grandparent-headed families in rural Korea. However, there is a lack of empirical research looking at the experiences of custodial grandmothers, social support, and their psychological well-being. In this regard, this study examined the effect of social support (formal & informal) on the psychological well-being of custodial grandmothers in rural Korea. For this purpose, quantitative and qualitative research methods were conducted. Quantitative data were gathered, using structured questionnaire, from 311 grandmothers who were raising their grandchildren in rural Korea as primary care-givers. Statistical methods used for data analysis were descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression analysis with SPSS WIN 19.0 programs. Qualitative data were collected by in-depth interviews to 10 custodial grandmothers in rural area. The results of this study are as follows. First, almost half of the parents of the grandchild didn't visit and didn't call anymore. Some relatives -aunt, uncle, etc.- support the grandparent-headed family economically and emotionally. 3/4 of the grandparent-headed families were supported by the government and community. This was not small numbers, but the amount of economic support was low. Second, grandmothers in the study showed quite a high level of depression while their happiness level was relatively low. There were differences in the factors influencing the level of happiness/depression of these rural grandmothers. Overall, the study's results showed the importance of formal & informal support for psychological well-being of the custodial grandmothers in rural Korea. Policy and theoretical implications are discussed.