• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.175-192
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• 2007

Qualitative research was used to discover factors, relationships, and practices affecting rearing of a grandchild by grandparents. Results showed that the grandparents' motives for rearing a grandchild were parental obligation and responsibility, the fate of unavoidable situations, feelings of worth and affection, helping household economy, and absence of another reliable place for child-rearing. Grandchild-rearing roles included substitute mother, disciplinarian, and playmate. Grandchild-rearing difficulties included such psychological problems as insufficient time for their own selves, concern that they might also raise another grandchild, conflicts with family members, economic problems, and physical problems such as grandparents' worsening health conditions, double pressures of housework and childcare, and stress from loss of memory and fatigue.

• 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.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.205-216
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• 2018

This study examined how the relationship between grandmother-adult child solidarity, caregiving satisfaction, and grandmother's child-rearing role varies according to the relation with the grandchild. Mediation effects and moderated mediation effects were analyzed to investigate the relationship between these variables. The participants were 295 grandmothers raising preschool-aged grandchildren in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas. Data was analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and PROCESS macro, performing correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. The statistical significance of the indirect effect was examined using a bootstrapping procedure. The results are as follows. First, grandmother-adult child solidarity directly affects the grandmother's child-rearing role. Second, grandmother-adult child solidarity indirectly affects the grandmother's child-rearing role through caregiving satisfaction. Third, the direct and indirect effects of grandmother-adult child solidarity on the grandmother's child-rearing role are moderated by the relation with the grandchild. The direct effect of grandmother-adult child solidarity on grandmother's child-rearing role was therefore shown to be significant on the maternal grandmother. Fourth, the indirect effect of grandmother-adult child solidarity on the grandmother's child-rearing role through caregiving satisfaction was shown to be significant on the paternal grandmother. Based on the results of this study, we discussed ways to strengthen the capacity of co-parenting between grandparents and adult children.

• 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.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.239-269
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to understand the different views of grandparent's that are rearing children from the grandmother and working mom as co-caregivers by studying conflicts and the experience made by grandmothers by rearing children through a phenomenological approach, and to help to build healthy relationships and furthermore to promote a healthy educational environment. Data were collected from six working mothers from a child care center in Gyeonggi, and their six grandmothers who were rearing grandchildren through in-depth interviews, emails and observation based on the instruction of semi-structured interviews. For analysis, a phenomenological analysis method is used. As a result, 78 meaning units, 15 sub-elements and 6 theme categories were drawn. Theme categories were (1) grandmothers' rearing experience; perform a double-role through grandchildren-rearing (2) working moms' rearing experience; conflicts over ideologue of motherhood (3) grandmothers' rearing positive effect: increasing grandmothers' efficacy and intimate relationships with grandchildren (4) working moms' rearing positive effect: reducing working moms' children-rearing stress (5) negative effect: increasing grandmothers' children-rearing stress and working moms' low children-rearing efficacy (6) rearing conflicts: the two mothers' conflicts over children-rearing values. Through the study, it implies that social intervention is needed to solve the conflicts between two mothers over the rearing attitudes and methods as understanding and intervention is needed.

• 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.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.149-161
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• 2020

This study showed that the association between grandmother-mother relationship and grandmother-grandchildren ties is mediated by the coparenting. Participants consisted of 329 grandmothers who were rearing preschool aged grandchildren in the Seoul and Gyeonggido area. SPSS 23.0 performed descriptive statistical analysis and correlation analysis. The structural equation model was estimated with AMOS 23.0. Parameters were estimated using the maximum likelihood method. Model fit index used the chi-square statistic, the goodness of fit index (GFI), the Turker-Lewis index (TLI), the comparative fit index (CFI), the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The mediation effect analysis followed a two-step verification process; direct and indirect effect. In addition, statistical significance of the indirect effect was examined using a bootstrapping procedure. The results are as follows. First, a positive correlation was found between the grandmother-mother relationship, grandmother-grandchildren ties, and coparenting. Second, the association between grandmother-mother relationship and grandmother-grandchildren ties is mediated by coparenting. The results of this study suggest that the quality of the grandmother's relationship with mothers and cooperative coparenting is important to building relationships with grandchildren. In addition, coparenting can be an important mechanism for grandmother-mother relationships and grandmother-grandchild ties. Based on the results of this study, we discussed ways to improve the grandmothers' relationship quality with the mother and strengthen parenting ability.

• 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.