Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/14048
Title: Does grandparenting pay off? : the impact of child care on grandparents’ quality of life
Authors: Sant, Maria Isabella
Keywords: Grandparent and child -- Malta
Child care -- Malta
Grandchildren -- Care -- Malta
Quality of life -- Malta
Issue Date: 2016
Abstract: This study explored how grandparent child care affected grandparents’ own health and quality of life. It also analysed the positive and negative aspects of grand parenting. A review of the literature ensued which showed that notwithstanding that grandparenthood is widely acknowledged as being of great and growing importance in contemporary societies, it has remained inadequately theorised. This is because the demographic, socioeconomic, family and social policy contexts that frame and shape grandparenthood have changed radically in recent decades, and continue to evolve. Grandparenthood is experienced by people in all cultures. Cultures differ in how much they encourage individuality and uniqueness versus conformity and interdependence. A review of the literature also yielded few published academic accounts of grandparent caregiving in Malta, in fact only three studies have been conducted regarding this subject. A qualitative research design employing the grounded theory approach was adopted. Twenty cognitively and psychologically healthy grandparents living in the community, between the ages of 60 to 90 years, were purposively selected using a maximum variation sampling technique. Participants needed to be grandparents who were taking care of their grandchildren for not less than five hours a week without either of their parents present. There were 14 grandmothers and 6 grandfathers of varied socio-economic backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews were carried out and all the participants were able to verbally communicate in Maltese or English. The data was collected during the month of March, 2016 and analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Data was transcribed and analysed, and seven global themes emerged. These included “satisfaction”, “a more active lifestyle”, “adaptation”, “a second chance at child-rearing”, “instilling values”, “preferred caregivers”, and “negative aspects”. Findings revealed that even though caring for grandchildren is associated with some negative aspects, grandparents experience their caregiving as satisfying. The study concluded that the overall benefits and rewards for grandparents providing caregiving to their grandchildren, by far outweighs any liabilities. It is recommended that further studies need to be carried out to delve into the grandparenting scene in Malta. Additional research could focus on the quality of the grandchild-grandparent relationship, as well as the role confusion of the grandparents within the family. It is suggested that the grandparents’ role is supported through policy measures such as parents being able to transfer parental leave to grandparents, working grandparents being able to take leave if their grandchild is unwell, and grandparents being paid for the care they provide.
Description: M.GER.
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/14048
Appears in Collections:Dissertations - FacSoW - 2016
Dissertations - FacSoWGer - 2016

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