Prethodno priopćenje
WHEN GRANDMA AND GRANDPA BECOME MOM AND DAD: ENGAGING GRANDFAMILIES IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
Judith B. Bachay
orcid.org/0000-0002-7642-5641
; Department of Social Sciences and Counseling, St. Thomas University
Barbara M. Buzzi
; Department of Social Sciences and Counseling, St. Thomas University
Sažetak
The composition of American families has changed radically in the last 10 years in that a far greater number of children are living in grandparent headed households due to psycho-social and socio-economic factors. It is imperative that counselors and human services providers in all sectors recognize this. This article describes a research study of the health and stress of grandparent caregivers of young children in South Florida. Through oral individual interviews, the grandparents challenged researchers’ assumptions about the effects of stress and the scarcity of resources on their grandparenting roles. Nearly 86% of participants considered themselves to be in good, very good or excellent health. Qualitative analysis of two focus group discussions allowed for a deeper understanding of the experience of grandparenting. The strength and resiliency of these participants were demonstrated by their belief in the authority that grandparents possess, the respect they receive from their grandchildren, and their consistency due to their years of experience as parents. They believed that grandparents are the best teachers of cultural history, and that they can now relax and enjoy parenting more, imparting family values to the children they were raising. In spite of the physical limitations imposed on their bodies by the aging process, the economic struggles they endure, the crime and violence in the community, the participants reveal a deep emotional connection to their grandchildren. This article also offers specific strategies designed to support grandparent headed families. This research indicates the need for culturally competent counseling interventions that would strengthen these cherished family relationships. Three counseling models were determined to be relevant for grandfamilies: Filial Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Structural Family Therapy. These models provide a strength-based approach that honors the cultural values of each individual grandfamily.
Ključne riječi
Grandparents raising grandchildren; resiliency; interventions with grandfamilies; Filial Family Therapy; Narrative Therapy; Structural Family Therapy
Hrčak ID:
85003
URI
Datum izdavanja:
27.7.2012.
Posjeta: 2.451 *