Exploring the Experience of Grandchildren in Custodial Grandparent Care
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Running head: CUSTODIAL GRANDCHILDREN Exploring the Experience of Grandchildren in Custodial Grandparent Care by Maura K. Cole B.S., Northeastern University, 2006 M.S., Antioch University New England, 2011 DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Psychology in the Department of Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England, 2017 Keene, New Hampshire CUSTODIAL GRANDCHILDREN ii Department of Clinical Psychology DISSERTATION COMMITTEE PAGE The undersigned have examined the dissertation entitled: EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCES OF GRANDCHILDREN IN CUSTODIAL CARE presented on July 20, 2017 by Maura K. Cole Candidate for the degree of Doctor of Psychology and hereby certify that it is accepted*. Dissertation Committee Chairperson: Martha B. Straus, PhD Dissertation Committee Members: William Slammon, PHD Babara Belcher-Timme, PsyD Accepted by the Department of Clinical Psychology Chairperson George Tremblay, PhD on July 20, 2017 *Signatures are on file with the Registrar’s Office at Antioch University New England. CUSTODIAL GRANDCHILDREN 1 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................2 Theoretical Framework ...........................................................................................................5 Review of Relevant Literature ................................................................................................6 Rationale for Research ............................................................................................................32 Research Questions .................................................................................................................34 Methodology ................................................................................................................................35 Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis ................................................................................36 Data Collection Methods ........................................................................................................41 Researcher Reflection .............................................................................................................43 Results ..........................................................................................................................................44 Participants ..............................................................................................................................44 Analysis...................................................................................................................................47 Discussion ....................................................................................................................................67 Limitations .............................................................................................................................74 Clinical Implications ..............................................................................................................78 Future Research .....................................................................................................................83 Final Thoughts .......................................................................................................................84 References ....................................................................................................................................86 Appendix A: Recruitment Letter .................................................................................................93 Appendix B: Recruitment Flyer ...................................................................................................94 Appendix C: Consent Form .........................................................................................................95 Appendix D: Assent Form ...........................................................................................................97 Appendix E: Demographic Data Questionnaire ..........................................................................98 Appendix F: Semi-structured Interview Schedule .......................................................................99 Appendix G: Kinetic Family Drawings .......................................................................................101 Appendix H: Demographic Data Display ....................................................................................107 Appendix I: Superordinate and Emergent Themes Display ........................................................109 CUSTODIAL GRANDCHILDREN 2 Dedication For my grandparents—Nana, Grandma, Grandpa, and Pop—who did not raise me, but nurtured and cared for me always CUSTODIAL GRANDCHILDREN 3 Acknowledgements I have many to thank for staying the course and accompanying me at some point or other on this journey. My beginnings at Antioch could not have found me with a better matched group of people. My original cohort was an amazing group of students I could learn with on Monday mornings, and laugh with on Monday nights. They became some of my first real friends in the profession, and even when my path diverged, they were supportive and encouraging, and have remained so to this day. When I was ready to return to Antioch, with a renewed sense of purpose and intention, I was welcomed back to a new cohort, who invited me in as one of their own, and embraced my joining them in the last leg of the journey. Thank you, Antioch friends. My utmost gratitude and biggest thank you of all goes to Martha Straus, my dissertation chair—who instilled the passion for this project in the early years, sat with me in my uncertain years, and supported and encouraged me in my wandering year. Yet, she received me back with open arms and was ready to pick up the project upon my return, and has had endless patience for me in the longest, and at times most difficult part of this venture. Thank you for coaching me through this marathon even when I could barely walk it. I truly would not have finished without you. You are the psychologist I hope to be when I grow up. Thank you to my committee members, Barbara Belcher Timme and William Slammon, two psychologists whose clinical style and presence have impacted me and also benefited me greatly throughout this process. It has been a long road and your patience and continued interest and enthusiasm for this dissertation has played no small role in getting me to the finish line. Thank you for seeing this through to completion with me. To my ‘kin’ outside of my academic life, thank you for always making me feel you were interested and invested in that part of my world, and for being the best cheerleaders from start to CUSTODIAL GRANDCHILDREN 4 finish. Special thanks to those who rode the ups and downs with me—Pattie B and Corey B—my musketeers, as well as a very special group of people in the DTL community. Em, who predicted I would be doing this work back in our hammock talk days, thanks for checking in on me. My coworkers at Lighthouse who saw me going off to grad school, and my coworkers at LUK who helped pull my weight when I couldn’t do it all. Special thanks to Heidi and Linda, my rogue partner in crime (and a grandmother who has put in time raising a grandchild!). Thank you, Steph and Sarah, for being my sounding board many Thursday nights (and most days in between!) and to Mel and ‘tones for being the soundtrack to my grad school years. You all make me feel most loved. Thanks for being my Person—love, your Peep. Thank you to my extended family—my many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins who forgave me for not always making it to the party, but making sure I knew I was missed. To my grandmothers, who have said many, many prayers for my health and the completion of this project. Special thanks to Annie, for your help with this paper and your enthusiasm for it! Mom and Dad: it is not at all lost on me that I have perhaps the most supportive and encouraging parents on the planet. Thank you for always believing in me. Maggie, my grad school guru, thank you for guiding me from application to dissertation, and being the best oldest sister to me in between. Sarah, thank you for navigating and advocating for my medical care to get me in a healthy place to do this…and being the best older sister to me. Michael, thank you for being the fun when I needed it, and engaging in late night talks about these topics I’m passionate about. You’re my favorite brother and I’m glad we kept you! Tom, Steve, and Kelsey—my siblings by marriage and by heart—thank you. Owen, Jack, Quinn, and Cooper, my favorite boys in the whole world—thank you for the much needed play breaks. I love you all so much! CUSTODIAL GRANDCHILDREN 5 Thank you to the grandfamilies for sharing your experiences in hopes it may help others. Yours is the greatest gift; your stories are the heartbeat that gives life to this paper. CUSTODIAL GRANDCHILDREN 1 Abstract Grandparent-headed families are a growing trend as social policy has moved increasingly toward kinship care for children in out-of-home placements. While much of the current research focuses on the characteristics and potential causal factors in the formation of such families, there has been little qualitative research focusing on the lived experiences of the