Exploring the attachment of grandparents and grandchildren in the Latino family

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-77)Prior research indicates that in the U.S. the Latino population of grandparents is growing. Williams and Torrez (1998) state that "the number of Hispanic elderly will increase from 1 million to 2.5 million by 2010 and to about 5.6 million by 2050. As a result, we can expect a considerable increase in the absolute number of grandparents" (p. 88). There are many different levels of care that a grandparent may provide for a grandchild---occasional visits, occasional babysitting, regular care (e.g., after school on week days, night times when parents have night work shifts), residential full-time care with parent(s) present (caring for grandchild in a household where grandchild, children, and grandparent(s) live together) and full custodial care. No matter the level of care grandparents provide, opportunities to establish a relationship and resulting attachment arise. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren from the perspective of the grandparents, as well as to examine how culture and heritage is transferred across the generations in the Latino Family. Special attention was placed on the Latino family because limited research has been conducted regarding this population. Data were collected using the Grandparent's Perspective questionnaire and interview protocol instruments which were both developed by the researcher. Siudy participants consisted of 41 grandparents, including 21 grandmothers and 20 grandfathers of Latino descent. All participants completed the questionnaire and seven also participated in an in-depth interview. The hypothesis of this study was that grandparents who reported caring for and seeing their grandchildren more :frequently would report having more involvement with their grandchildren and would be more likely to report that they transmitted family and cultural traditions and heritage to their grandchildren than those grandparents who reported caring for and seeing their grandchildren less :frequently. In summary, results partially supported the hypothesis, significant correlations among themes and related variables were identified, and three main themes and subthemes were revealed from the interviews. The themes identified from the questionnaire responses consisted of: perspective (grandparents' perspective of themselves, role, and effectiveness); involvement; culture (teaching of the traditions and the primary language); and foods and dishes (preparing and teaching of culture foods/dishes). In addition, the three main themes revealed from the in-depth interviews were: relationship, culture, and caregiving. A discussion of the study's limitations and implications for future research and practice are also presented as well as closing remarks