Grandmothers raising grandchildren: family structure and well-being in culturally diverse families.

PURPOSE: This study addressed well-being of grandmothers raising grandchildren in coparenting and custodial households in a sample of African American, Latino, and White grandmothers.

DESIGN AND

METHODS

A sample of 1,058 grandmothers was recruited through the schools and media. Grandmothers raising or helping to raise school-aged grandchildren in Los Angeles were interviewed, and analyses were conducted within ethnic groups.

RESULTS

African American grandmothers experienced equal well-being in coparenting and custodial families; however, if the stresses related to the parents' problems were removed by statistical control, they favored the custodial arrangement. Latino grandmothers had greater well-being in coparenting families, reflecting a tradition of intergenerational living. White custodial grandmothers experienced somewhat higher levels of affect (positive and negative) but showed no difference in other types of well-being.

IMPLICATIONS: The cultural lens through which grandparenthood is viewed has a marked impact on the adaptation to custodial or coparenting family structures.