A Comparison of the Role of Grandparents in Single-Mother and Single-Father Families

There is little information available on the roles played by grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren following the divorce or separation of the grandchildren's parents. This study compared the specific activities shared by grandparents and grandchildren in single-mother and single-father families of children in grades 1 through 4. Data on grandparent involvement following divorce or separation were obtained from questionnaires completed by the custodial parents in 30 single-mother and 30 single-father families who were recruited from randomly selected public schools in 2 metropolitan school districts. The impact of the gender of grandparent, kin position, and gender of custodial parent on the amount of contact, type of activities, and overall involvement level were examined. Findings indicated that grandparents were more involved in their grandchildren's lives when they lived close by, had custodial status, were grandmothers, or had a grandchild living with a single father. (Contains 15 references.) (KB)