• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-20
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• 2014

This study explores the grandchild-rearing experience of grandmothers whose children are part of dual-earner couples. Twelve participants provided in-depth interview data that were analysed according to Spradely's ethnographic method. We present three main themes in our research, as well as ten smaller themes: (i) the grandchild-rearing motive (from the perspective of the adult, the child, the grandchild, and the grandmother); (ii) the mode of grandchild-rearing support (residential, total weight of childrearing support, availability of a daycare center); (iii) the change in the grandmother's way of life (positive changes and negative changes). Finally, this study examines the integrity of the grandmother's identity as their productivity increases through providing grandchild-rearing support. It also looks at the importance of governmental policies that support their burdens according to the level support they provide.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.13-27
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• 2009

This study purposed to survey grandparents' difficulties in parenting their grand children at grandparent-grandchild households in South Jeolla rural areas. This study was conducted through in-depth interviews from January to October, 2008. The subjects were eight grandparents living with their grandchildren in Boseong-gun, Gangjin-gun, Yeonggwang-gun, Hampyeong-gun, Haenam-gun and Damyang-gun in South Jeolla province. The results are as follows: the grandparents' difficulties in parenting grandchildren are divided into four categories of variable factors: 'Difficulties related to grandparents themselves'; 'Difficulties related to their grandchildren'; 'Difficulties related to early childhood education institution: and 'Difficulties related to their grandchildren's peer group or surrounding people'. The main difficulties in these categories are 'poor, aging and weak conditions of grandparents: 'conflicts in their parenting attitude to have compassion on grandchildren: 'grandparents' not enough educational support to grandchildren due to their ignorance about today's education system: and 'anxiety about the possibility for their grandchildren to be abandoned once again.' These results can be used as a piece of basic information for desirable supports to grandparent-grandchild households.

• 한국노년학
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.587-609
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate parenting experiences among grandmothers raising their grandchildren from grandmothers' perspective, and a variety of their physical health, psychological and social challenges they were facing in everyday life. In addition, this study explored new issues, changes, and difficulties grandparents and their grandchildren were going through during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven grandmothers raising their grandchildren without their cohabiting parents participated in an in-depth interview, and the qualitative date were obtained using semi-structured questionnaires. Analyses identified 5 main categories: 1) my emotion, worries, and coping with parenting grandchildren, 2) difficulties and obstacles facing in real life of the parenting, 3) conflicts and coping with growing grandchildren who showed new characters, 4) relationships and emotions among grandparents, parents, and grandchildren, and 5) needs and desires toward social services and support. Sixteen themes and 60 sub-themes were also derived. The majority of grandmothers expressed diverse difficulties in their dail y lives including ambivalent emotions regarding grandchild-rearing(rewards and burden), economic hardships, physical health limitations, and a lack of communications with their grandchildren. Further, findings indicated profound generation conflicts which had been even deepened during school close period in COVID-19 pandemic and had been associated with increased hours of using internet and playing computer games. The top priority of the social service needs among interviewed grandmothers was learning support for their grandchildren. Emotional support and social support to cover their lack of family interactions, and financial support were the next of their desired social services. Implications to improve social services for grandparent-headed families are discussed.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.441-458
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• 2009

The present study compared the differences in mechanisms of caregiving stress, depression, parenting behaviors, stress-coping, and social support between caregiving grandmothers and the caregiving mothers. Three caregiving groups were compared; One hundred and fifty-two grandmothers rearing their grandchild as daytime care-giver (partial caregiving-grandmother group), 152 mothers who shared the responsibilities of caregiving the same child (partial caregiving-mother group), and another 157 mothers who rear their child as daytime care-giver (primary caregiving-mother group). Predictors of parental stress for these caregiving groups were also assessed. The results indicated that partial caregiving-grandmother group had more depressed than two mother groups, but there were no differences in parental stress among three caregiving groups. In addition, primary caregiving-mothers used more problem-focused coping strategies, and more social support than did partial caregiving-grandmothers. In parental behaviors, partial caregiving-grandmothers significantly had more laxness, less overactive than two mother groups. In the analysis of hierarchical regression, overactivity and depression were significant predictors of parental stress in partial caregiving-grandmothers. On the other hand, depression, social support, and overactivity were significant predictors of parental stress in partial caregiving-mothers. In primary caregiving-mothers, overactivity, depression, and emotion-focused coping were significant predictors of parental stress. We discussed the differences of the predictors in parental stress between grandmothers and mothers.