Living with grandma - A grandfamily study

In recent years, large numbers of grandparents have become full-time surrogate parents to their grandchildren. These grandparents and grandchildren often have serious problems that may require assistance from schools and mental health professionals. The term \u27grandfamily\u27 is used to, easily identify families where grandparents raise children because their biological parents can no longer care for them. \u27Grandkin\u27 are children and \u27supergrands\u27 are the grandparents in these grandfamilies. Grandparents who raise their grandchildren tend to have elevated levels of stress that negatively impact their well-being. School personnel report \u27grandkin\u27 also experience behavioural, emotional And academic problems at school. In light of the substantial needs of \u27grandfamilies\u27 and the lack of data about \u27grandkin,\u27 this article provides a first step in describing the major challenges experienced by a grandson and his grandmother. This \u27grandfamily\u27 encounters serious economic, emotional and educational stressors. Both the grandson and grandmother experience difficulty functioning under the pressure of stressors and would benefit from an integrated intervention approach based in the home, school and their faith organization