• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.109-134
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• 2009

Due to the change of socio-cultural conditions, family dissolving is increasing. As an alternative, grandparents who parent their grandchildren are also increasing rapidly and many show deep concern at this phenomenon. The grandparents-grandchildren families were approached through policy-makers' and professionals' perspective, not through insiders' view. The purpose of this ethnographic study were to explore the experiences and meaning-makings of grandmothers who are raising grandchildren. 22 narrative interviews with 10 grandmothers were conducted. The results of data analysis are as follows. The cultural theme in rasing experiences of grandmothers is 'Constituting a family beyond the multiple boundaries'. This theme include four cultural meanings: 'Recunstuction of everyday life beyound boundaries', 'Boundary of relative poverty more rigid than boundary of absolute poverty', 'Compromising constantly with normal culture having both inclusion and exclusion' boundaries', 'Having aspiration toward crossing the boundaries'. The policiy-makers and practitioners for the grandparents-grandchildren families should recognize the experiences and meaning-making of these families and should perform culturally perceptible and family-centered policies and practices.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.905-923
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to examine factors affecting the conflict between grandparents raising grandchildren and adult children. The data were based on the panel survey to explore korean retirement and income study conducted by National Pension Service in 2009. For this study, 287 parenting grandparents rearing grandchild are selected from the survey. Included variables are a demographic factor, a economic factor, a caregiving-related factor, a health factor, and a family relationship factor. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, co-relation and logistic regression, with SPSS WIN 18.0 program. The results are as follows: First, when grandparents are male, older, highly educated, having no religion, and unemployed, a conflict with their adult children grows. Second, when grandparents do not have earned income or financial income, but have private income transfers, a conflict with their adult children is high. Third, when grandchildren are younger, there are no caregiving rewards, economic activities suspension or reduction because of caregiving, a conflict with their adult children is strong. Also, when grandparents' physical health is good, but their mental health is poor, a conflict with their adult children increases. Fourth, when grandparents' satisfactions with family relationship and spouse relationship are low, but their satisfaction with adult children relationship is high, a conflict with their adult children rises. This study suggests that unlike in the past, grandparents raising grandchildren can no longer make sacrifice themselves for their adult children, but they expect proper exchange between parents and children. Therefore, there needs to be understanding of grandparents raising grandchildren and further studies of a conflict between grandparents raising grandchildren their adult children.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.185-203
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• 2017

Objective: The present study examined the perspectives of grandparents raising their grandchildren in an attempt to better understand grandparents' child-rearing experience while providing kinship foster care to their primary-grade grandchildren. Methods: Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews with eight grandparents who have raised one or two primary-grade (ages 8-10) grandchildren using a qualitative approach. Results: First, the participants viewed the reason for their kinship foster care as a failure for caring for their own children and accepted the present grandparent-care provision as their responsibility. Second, the participants communicated constant struggles with their own health and grandchild-care as well as positive/negative emotions associated with the care provision. Third, most of the participants did not fully understand the developmental needs of their primary-grade grandchildren. Fourth, the participants articulated concerns for their primary-grade grandchildren's learning, peer interactions, school adjustment, and extra-curricular activities. Lastly, the participants all agreed on hoping to raise grandchildren with good personality traits as members of a society and to have them fill the gap from the loss of their parents. Conclusion: Although most participants accepted the current circumstances as their obligation, they still noted difficulties in child-care provision. Given the developmental needs of grandchildren and the resource needs of grandparents, proper and continuous intervention approaches should be developed/provided.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.795-811
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• 2011

Recently, an interest on how to moderate parenting stress of grandparents is rising according to rising depression of grandparents of grandparents and grandchildren family(GGF) because of parenting stress So, this study tried to analyze moderating effects by setting social support and stress coping behaviors as moderator variable in order to know how much parenting stress of grandparents would influence their depression. For this purpose, we selected 369 cases of grandparents who were being provided social welfare service and to 334 cases out of them, did multigroup analysis using hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation model under spss Vor. 19.0 program. Followings are the results. First, the more parenting stress was high, the more depression high. But when social support was high, parenting stress low. And the more parenting stress was high, faith dependence, negative emotional expression and passive evasion as stress coping behaviors also high while problem reestablishment low. Second, emotional support, information support, and material support as social support had moderating effects in which parenting stress influenced depression while appraisal support had not. Third, faith dependence and low passive evasion as stress coping behaviors had moderating effects in influence of parenting stress to depression while problem reestablishment has not. On the one hand, emotional expression was meaningless in explaining moderating effects in connection with parenting stress. Through these, we draw a social welfare practical implication that could lift moderating effect of social support and stress coping behavior in between parenting stress and depression of grandparents of grandparents and grandchildren Family.

• 한국노년학
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.299-313
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• 2014

Recently, an interest on parenting stress and depression of grandparents raising grandchildren is rising according to the increase of working couple and divorce. Discussing around developmental task of elderly, one of the influencing factors on increase of grandparents' parenting stress and depression is leisure restriction. However, this factor has received far less rigorous analysis. Thus, the purpose of this article is to offer an analysis of the effect of leisure activities on depression in grandparents raising grandchildren. The data was collected from 172 grandparents raising their grandchildren in 2011 national survey results on the elderly life conditions. Their analyses were composed of descriptive statistic and multiple regression analysis. The study generated several findings. First, grandparents participated in activities for exercise and religion at a high rate and their mean score of depression was 7.1 of 15 what suggests middle level of depression. second, multiple regression analysis showed that the factor of exercise, travel experience, leisure activities satisfaction and other special leisure activities were statistically significant predictors of depression. Implication for social welfare services and programs to improve the mental health of grandparents raising their grandchildren to have positive self-awareness and attitude about life in their position and living condition for help prevent depression were discussed.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.65-84
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• 2010

This study examined poor custodial grandparents' life story and care-giving experiences of their grandchildren. 8 grandparents were selected and in-depth interview and participant observation method were used. They showed a miserable life from the birth and discriminative experience of the deprivation of educational opportunities as childhood nadir experiences. They showed the regret for their inability as youth/midlife low point and financial difficulty as old life nadir experiences. In terms of care-giving experiences of their grandchildren, they showed non-voluntary care-giving, anxiety for the generational continuation of hardship, and lack of familial assistance. Poor custodial grandparents also used family-centered value, community-based social assistance, and self-assurance through their sacrifice as their adjustment strategy. Several research themes such as the importance of basic trust in childhood, the experience of financial difficulties, the importance of community-based social assistance, and self-assurance through their sacrifice were suggested for further research.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.303-314
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• 1996

The purpose of this study is to investigate the satisfaction with sharing a bedroom among grandparent(s) and grandchildren, and the differences in the housing norms and satisfactions among the three generations of the extended families in Cheong-Ju city. Each three generations of the 50 extended families was interviewed with the questionnaire designed for each generation. The respondent family had at lest one child aged from 10 to 14 years old. The results showed that 40.0% of the elderly parents and 76.0% of the grandchildren shared a bedroom with someone beside a spouse, while about 90.0% of married couples had their own bedrooms. However, sharing a bedroom did not reduce the housing satisfaction of the grandparent(s) and the grandchild. The living arrangement of coresidence was mostly preferred by the grandparents, followed by the parents. The younger generations reported the more alternatives in living arrangement for the elderly. The number of bedrooms was the most important factor to be considered with coresidence of three generations but the most inadequate characteristics of the current housing to coreside. There were some differences in elderly housing norms and coresidence housing satisfactions among the three generations. The grandparents were most satisfied with coresidence living arragement, followed by the grandchildren and the daughters-in-law.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.274-286
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• 2010

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the rearing, health and nutrition services through intervention in GP-GC (grandparents-grandchildren) families. Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered in January 2008 and January 2009 to 55(70) grandparents of GP-GC families who received intervention services also GP-GC families that did not receive services. The study area was the city of Chunnam Province, South Korea. The intervention services were provided by electronic voucher one day per week. The questionnaire assessed the general characteristics of the grandparents, childcare stress and burden, health status (ADL, IADL, depression, subjective health status and fall index) and mini nutritional assessment(MNA). The data were analyzed using SPSS software and an F-test, Chi-squared test and t-test. Results: The stress of grandparents resulting from childcare was high, but depression in grandparents perceived by grandchildren was significantly lower in served GP-GC families than in non-served GP-GC families. Differences in scores of affection (t=2.12, df=116, p<.05), automatics (t=2.92, df=116, p<.01), realistic(t=2.24, df=116, p<.05), and level of depression(t=2.90, df=116, p<.01) were significant. Incidences of acute disease, IADL cognitive fuction and depression of grandparents were slightly higher. Intervention services for GP-GC families had an impact on the childcare attitude and health status of grandparents. The intervention services of nutrition for grandparents were not promoted, but the scoring for subjective nutrition status were statistically higher for the served group (t=18.230, p<.0001). Conclusions: This study found that intervention programs of childcare services and health and nutrition management are effective for grandparents of GP-GC families. Intervention services for GP-GC family should establish the political issue.

• 한국노년학
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.869-893
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of relationships with family on successful aging according to the four attachment style to children. 509 elderly people over 60 years old having a spouse, non-cohabitated children were included. The main findings through this study are as follows; First, secure and preoccupied attachment style were statistically higher than dismissing and fearful attachment style in successful aging and relationship with spouse, children and grandchildren. Second, total paths of research model were different according to the attachment style of the elderly. Model fit of secure attachment style was not good and the effects of relationships with family on successful aging were not statistically significant. In case of preoccupied attachment style, the effect of relationship with spouse and grandchildren on successful aging were significant. Also the effect of relationship with spouse on relationship with children was significant and the effect of relationship with children on relationship with grandchildren was significant. Relationship with grandchildren mediates the effect of relationship with children on successful aging. In case of dismissing attachment style, the effect of relationship with spouse and grandchildren on successful aging were significant. Also the effect of relationship with children on relationship with grandchildren was significant. Relationship with grandchildren mediates the effect of relationship with children on successful aging. In case of fearful attachment style, the effect of relationship with spouse and grandchildren on successful aging were significant. Also the effect of relationship with spouse on relationship with children was significant and the effect of relationship with children on relationship with grandchildren was significant. Relationship with children mediates the effect of relationship with spouse on successful aging. This study explains the role of attachment styles as moderation variable of relationship with family on successful aging and also suggests the importance of marital and grandparents-grandchildren relationship as alternative supporter when the elderly has relational problems with adult children.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.1-23
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• 2016

This study analyzes the effects of caring for grandchildren on Korean grandparents' health, using the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging from 2006 to 2012. We investigate how caregiving is provided and analyze the effects of caregiving on grandparents' physical health, mental health, and health-related behaviors. As elderly people's health is generally frail, it is unclear whether the provision of childcare affects their health negatively. We control for the endogeneity of caregiving by an individual fixed effect (FE) model and instrumental variable-fixed effect (FE-IV) models. Using these models, we determine the endogeneity of caregiving and show that the significant effects of caregiving on health disappear as we control for endogeneity in the FE and FE-IV models. Even after controlling for endogeneity, we find that caregiving increases the probability of feeling pain as well as the number of different types of pain. Furthermore, caregiving increases the probability of restrictions on daily activities because of pain. On the other hand, caregiving reduces the symptoms of depression. In relation to health-related behaviors, caregiving reduces the probability of physical exercise and regular meals. Our results imply that although caregiving has a positive effect on mental health, the increase in physical pain and in non-healthy behaviors may lead to a deterioration of the caregiver's long-term health, which in turn may increase the medical costs of the elderly. Potential policy alternatives are discussed in the paper.