Dilemmas facing grandparents with grandchildren affected by parental substance misuse

Grandfamilies and the Opioid Epidemic: A Systemic Perspective and Future Priorities

“…In studies specific to grandparents raising grandchildren in the context of parental substance misuse, grandparents consistently identify their grandchildren’s difficulties as a significant source of stress (Barnard 2003 ; Davis et al 2020 ; Haglund 2000 ; Minkler et al 1994 ; Roe et al 1994 , 1996 ; Templeton 2012 ). Raising children for a second time is stressful enough, due to the generation gap and the time and energy demands of parenting, but parenting stress can be exacerbated by grandchildren’s disruptive or difficult behavior (Dolbin-MacNab 2006 ; Doley et al 2015 ; Kelley et al 2013 ; Goodman 2012 ; Sprang et al 2015 ).…”

“…While studies specific to the impact of parental substance misuse consistently find that grandparents prioritize the safety and well-being of their grandchildren over facilitating the parent–grandchild relationship (Haglund 2000 ; O’Leary and Butler 2015 ; Taylor et al 2017 ), contact still occurs and is inherently complicated. For instance, in a study of 21 English grandparents, Templeton ( 2012 ) found that grandparents experienced difficulties talking to their grandchildren about their parents’ substance misuse, often feeling uncertain about how to balance their desire to be honest with their fear of harming or frightening their grandchildren. Fortunately, these grandparents generally understood the importance of clear boundaries by not “bad mouthing” their grandchildren’s parents (Templeton 2012 ), which is critical given evidence that grandchildren have strong feelings of love and loyalty toward their parents, despite the circumstances (Dolbin-MacNab and Keiley 2009 ; Dunifon et al 2016 ).…”

“…For instance, in a study of 21 English grandparents, Templeton ( 2012 ) found that grandparents experienced difficulties talking to their grandchildren about their parents’ substance misuse, often feeling uncertain about how to balance their desire to be honest with their fear of harming or frightening their grandchildren. Fortunately, these grandparents generally understood the importance of clear boundaries by not “bad mouthing” their grandchildren’s parents (Templeton 2012 ), which is critical given evidence that grandchildren have strong feelings of love and loyalty toward their parents, despite the circumstances (Dolbin-MacNab and Keiley 2009 ; Dunifon et al 2016 ). Maintaining this “neutral” stance may be difficult for grandparents, especially for those who are under significant stress and who are experiencing their own reactivity toward their grandchildren’s parents.…”

Concerns and Supports of Grandfamilies Using Formal Services: Do They Have the Help They Need?

“…Based on prior research and our experience with grandfamilies in our communities, we wanted to discover the nature of any unmet needs or concerns, despite formal affiliation. Issues of interest for this study included reasons that grandparents take over care (Backhouse & Graham, 2012;Sands & Goldberg-Glen, 2000;Templeton, 2012), psychosocial difficulties for grandparents (Bundy-Fazioli, Fruhauf, & Miller, 2013;Sands, Goldberg-Glen, & Thornton, 2005) and the grandchildren (Edwards, 2006;Hayslip & Kaminski, 2005a;Keller & Stricker, 2003), family dynamics involving the child's parent or parents (Gladstone, Brown, & Fitzgerald, 2009;Strong, Bean, & Feinauer, 2010), service use and unmet needs of grandparents (Yancura, 2013), outcomes based on whether the grandparent has formal custody or informal charge of grandchildren (Kolomer, 2008), and the challenges often associated with parenting and working with school systems (Edwards & Sweeney, 2007), including pediatric health care, and other day-to-day needs in the lives of minor children (Baird, 2003). Despite the recent body of literature, grandparents' responsibility for grandchildren is not entirely new, especially among populations that include grandparents as part of an extended family in which day-today contact and child care among all adult members is normative (Chen, Liu, & Mair, 2011;Mollborn, Formby, & Dennis, 2011;Settles, Zhao, et al, 2009).…”

Supporting grandparent/grandchild contact under the Care of Children Act 2004: an assessment of current options, and a call for change.

“…The value of grandparents extends beyond their immediate practical value to parents. It has been recognised across a wide spectrum of social activities, including help with homework (Biscoglio & Wanger, 2011), reducing depression and improving selfesteem in grandchildren (Ruiz & Silverstream, 2007), stepping in when parents engage in substance misuse (Templeton, 2012, andtransmitting religious andcultural values (Ofahanguae Vakalahi, Taiapa, &Ware, 2013). …”