Description
Book SynopsisToday, approximately 1.6 million American children live in what social scientists call “grandfamilies”—households in which children are being raised by their grandparents. Drawing on data gathered from New York grandfamilies, Rachel Dunifon analyzes their unique strengths and distinct needs.
Trade Review“
You’ve Always Been There for Me makes a significant contribution to the field of family studies and gerontology. Dunifon’s arguments are unique, sound, and focused, and shed new light into the roles of grandchildren in grandfamilies.”
-- Christine A. Fruhauf * associate professor, Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Colorado State University *
"Dunifon masterfully addresses an understudied type of family–grandchildren raised by grandparents–and offers insightful policy recommendations for how to promote the well-being of these families. Her research is a model combination of survey techniques, open-ended interviews, and videotaped observations of interactions. As we learn about the financial hardships, the health challenges, and emotional demands experienced by grandparents, we also see the extraordinary bonds between these parental figures and their adolescent grandchildren. Dunifon’s superb volume will inspire other scholars to pursue this compelling topic." -- P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale * Frances Willard Professor of Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University *
"Recommended." * Choice *
Table of ContentsList of Tables
Introduction
1 What Leads to the Formation of Grandfamilies?
2 “I Couldn’t Be Prouder to Be the Caregiver of You”: How Do Grandparents Define Their Roles in Grandfamilies?
3 “I Get All the Love I Need”: How Do Youth Define Their Roles in Grandfamilies?
4 “I Love My Daughter, But I Don’t Like Her Right About Now”: The Role of Parents in Grandfamilies
5 Policies and Programs to Address Grandfamilies’ Needs
6 Postscript—Where Are They Now?
Conclusion
Appendix
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
