Relationships: Divorced Grandparents and Their Grandchildren

Grandparents are divorcing in numbers larger than ever before. The purpose of this study was to determine if the relationship between divorced grandparents and their grandchildren was different than the relationship between married grandparents and their grandchildren. 101 grandparents who had grandchildren in the 12-18 year old range were surveyed. Grandparents were given a survey to identify level of saliency, frequency of contact and shared activities, relationship quality, and time spent in grandparenting roles. Data analysis was used. The importance of the grandparent grandchild relationship, frequency of contact and shared activities, and time spent in grandparenting roles did not differ between divorced and married grandparents. Divorced grandmothers had higher relationship quality with their grandchildren than did divorced grandfathers. Relationship quality was also impacted by the strength of the parent-grandparent bond which strengthened the grandparent grandchild relationship. Additional analyses are suggested. Families and educators working with families need to address the issue of grandparents divorcing and the impact this will have on families for generations.