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Adult Grandchildren's Perceptions of Emotional Closeness and Consensus With Their Maternal and Paternal Grandparents

University of Florida

MELANIE A. WAKEMAN

University of Florida

CHRISTOPHER B. FEA

University of Florida

Increasingly, grandchildren and grandparents have opportunities to share family experiences as life expectancy of older adults increases. Along with this extension of life expectancy is the increased chance of grandparents' seeing their grandchildren grow into adulthood. The aim of this study was to examine young adult grandchildren's perceptions of affectual and consensual solidarity with their grandparents. In a convenience sample of 300 college-aged grandchildren, the results of ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression analyses show that a grandparent's kin position relative to the grandchild is an important factor in grandchildren's perceptions of solidarity with their grandparents. Results also show that personal factors (demographics) alone were weak predictors. However, structural characteristics were more strongly associated with grandchildren's higher levels of emotional closeness and perceived intergenerational consensus. Future research should examine the association between intergenerational solidarity and family size, parental divorce, and the differences between adult grandchildren acquiring stepgrandparents through parental divorce or grandparent remarriage.

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