ERIC Number: EJ746708
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Dec
Pages: 12
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0197-6664
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Breaking the Chain: How Grandparents Moderate the Transmission of Maternal Depression to Their Grandchildren
Silverstein, Merril; Ruiz, Sarah
Family Relations, v55 n5 p601-612 Dec 2006
Drawing on family systems theory, this study examined whether social cohesion with grandparents moderated the intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms from mothers to their adolescent and young adult children. We analyzed data from 2,280 grandchildren and their mothers who participated in two waves of the National Survey of Families and Households. Results revealed that grandchildren who were least integrated with their grandparents resembled their mothers in the severity of depressive symptoms. Grandchildren who were more integrated with their grandparents bore no such resemblance. We conclude that grandparents are consequential family actors who, by conditioning parent-child dynamics, influence the long-term emotional well-being of their grandchildren. Results are discussed in terms of intergenerational interdependence and the untapped resource that older adults represent.
Descriptors: Grandparents, Depression (Psychology), Grandchildren, Family (Sociological Unit), Mothers, National Surveys, Parent Child Relationship, Well Being, Adolescents, Young Adults, Emotional Development, Family Influence, Family Environment, Severity (of Disability)
Blackwell Publishing. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8599; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: customerservices@blackwellpublishing.com; Web site: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/jnl_default.asp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Survey of Families and Households
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A