Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Missouri.
J Fam Psychol. 2018 Mar;32(2):251-261. doi: 10.1037/fam0000377.
Increases in stepfamily formation and longevity suggest that more children have stepgrandparent relationships than ever before. Because remarriages end in divorce more often than first marriages, many children experience the involuntary dissolution of stepgrandparent ties. Little is known about stepgrandparent relationships in general, and even less is known about how these relationships are affected by remarriage dissolution. Guided by symbolic interaction theory, the purpose of this study was to understand how stepgrandchildren make sense of their relationships with former stepgrandparents. We explored their perceptions of why relationships were or were not maintained and the impact of continued or dissolved ties on their personal well-being. Former stepgrandchildren (N = 29) aged 18 to 37 were interviewed about their former stepgrandparents. The quality and continuity of these relationships were contingent on stepgrandchildren's relationships with former stepparents, biological parents' relationships with former stepgrandparents, and efforts by former stepgrandparents to remain involved. Losing ties with former stepgrandparents was upsetting, especially when relationships with biological grandparents were not close. Individuals who maintained relationships with former stepgrandparents benefitted from continued access to valuable resources (e.g., positive role models, additional sources of love and support). Our findings have important implications for clinicians' and researchers' understanding of the effects of remarriage dissolution on children as well as the intergenerational efforts that may be critical for preserving meaningful stepfamily ties. (PsycINFO Database Record
继家庭的形成和寿命的增加表明，现在有更多的孩子与继祖父母建立了关系，比以往任何时候都多。由于再婚比初婚更容易离婚，许多孩子经历了继祖父母关系的非自愿破裂。人们对继祖父母关系的了解甚少，甚至更少了解这些关系如何受到再婚破裂的影响。本研究以符号互动理论为指导，旨在了解继孙辈如何理解他们与前继祖父母的关系。我们探讨了他们对关系为何维持或不维持的看法，以及持续或破裂的关系对他们个人幸福的影响。29 名年龄在 18 岁至 37 岁的前继孙辈接受了关于他们前继祖父母的采访。这些关系的质量和连续性取决于继孙辈与前继父或继母的关系、亲生父母与前继祖父母的关系，以及前继祖父母努力保持联系的意愿。与前继祖父母失去联系令人不安，尤其是当与亲生祖父母的关系不亲密时。与前继祖父母保持关系的人受益于继续获得有价值的资源（例如，积极的榜样、额外的爱和支持来源）。我们的发现对临床医生和研究人员理解再婚破裂对儿童的影响以及对可能对保护有意义的继家庭关系至关重要的代际努力具有重要意义。
