Grandparent Parentification Impacts Psychosocial Functioning of Single Mother Family in Regional Poland – An Introduction to a Research Project

 

Project authors

Anna M. Schneider, PhD

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia

Elżbieta Napora, PhD

The Faculty of Social Sciences, Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa

Agnieszka Kozerska, PhD

The Faculty of Pedagogy, Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa

The concept and main questions

Risk factors:family structure (single-parent),financial problems (McLoyd, 1990),deficient parenting (Miszczuk &

Miszczuk-Wereszczyńska, 2009), mother's lower education level (Napora, in print).

Why do some adolescents fail at school, engage in risky behaviours, have psychological problems?

Protective factors outcomes:Adolescents from single mother families: function equally well to those from intact families (Kleist, 1999), reveal no abnormalities in the development, no differences in the assessment of communication with mothers (Napora, 2012).

Why do some adolescents succeed despite the hardships they face?

Areas to consider

• Risk factors - what do they mean?Nonspecific – behaviours that result in: conflicts in the family, school failure,

poverty.

Specific - increase the probability of specific types ofproblems, for example: the lack of guilt

• Protective factors - what are they?Individual features: personality, religious faith, talents, good intellectual

functioning.

Family related factors: close relationships with family members, goodfinancial situation.

External factors: safe neighborhood, social participation

Mathew & Chris

... were friends who:

► were brought up in large families,

►raised by mothers (fathers abandoned the families, did not get involved),

►in poverty

►They both :

►had behaviour problems ( aggression or withdrawal)►failed academically ____________________________________________________

Adapted from Ostaszewski (2009)

Mathew as an adult • did not complete high school,

• the employer sacked him,

• has been unemployed for several years,

• is living off his mother,

• is a chain smoker.

He assessed communication

with his mother as:

• confrontational,

• lacking in trust.

Vulnarability to risk factors

Highly vulnarable

Lack of adaptation

Chris as an adult • graduated from high school,

• has a good job,

• is a highly regarded expert,

• married with three children,

• involved with his family,

• engaged in leisure-time sport.

He assessed communication

with his mother as:

• open

• characterised by trust (Napora, 2012)

Resistance to risk factors

Despite the high risk

positive relationshipsand

good adaptation

Research

Werner (1994) studied the functioning of children on an Hawaiian island, raised in poverty by alcoholic and mentally ill parents.

One third of the children did not develop disorders and they did very well in their lives.

One third of the children did not develop disorders and they did very well in their lives.

Model

Mother - adolescent communication is an indicator of adolescent psychosocial functioning. In single mother families it is as good as in intact ones. (Napora, 2012).

Mother - adolescent communication is an indicator of adolescent psychosocial functioning. In single mother families it is as good as in intact ones. (Napora, 2012).

Grandparents provide single mother and the adolescent with emotional, material and/or instrumental support.

Grandparents provide single mother and the adolescent with emotional, material and/or instrumental support.

Nurturing environment in single mother families leads to positive adaptation(Willert, 2003)

Nurturing environment in single mother families leads to positive adaptation(Willert, 2003)

Protective factors

• mediate the effect of hardships on the mother and adolescent,

• strengthen them,

• allow them to recover from negative experiences and situations.

• Mother personality traits: sociability, openness, conscientiousness, extroversion

• Family related factors: satisfaction with family support and close relationship with grandparents, and other family members

• Environmental factors: place of residence, family socioeconomic status

Support from granparents (parentification)

The term was formulated in analogy to child parentification (Willert, 2003). In the family of a single mother, grandparent parentification is a situation in which grandparents provide support to the child and the mother substituting for the absent father. The result is that the role of grandparents transfers in the direction of the role of the father.

Project Aim

• The aim is to identify conditions in which support provided by grandparents, contributes to improving psychosocial functioning, by increasing the resilience of all members of single mother’s family.• The American National Institutes of Health, classified psychology as translational science (Breckler, 2006). • The intention is to identify best practice for active ageing in Polish context.

Place of study

The study will be conducted in the subregion of Czestochowa where very rapid ageing of the population can be observed.

Families of single mothers have lower incomes, their standard of living is often lower than full families. As a result, they are frequently isolated and marginalized.

Who will investigate, what will be investigated?

Local research scientists from Jan Dlugosz University inCzestochowa together with local students.

1. Full families and single mothers’ families will be investigatedfor the effect of grandparents’ parentification.

2. Types of single mother families will be distinguished depending on the level and style of grandparent involvement.

Research significance

1. Intergenerational solidarity in the form of support provided to single-parent family by grandparents is beneficial for them, the grandchildren and the parents.

2. This is one of the best forms of activation of older people,

3. It is a way to combat social exclusion of single mother families,

4. Positive reframing of single motherhood will result in society support, improved resilience, increased self-esteem and better mental health of the single mother,

5. The project supports the initiatives of 2012, the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity Between Generations as well as the objectives of 2010, the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010.

Resilience 1) Humans are resilient and function well despite risk factors. Grandparents’ support may be a protective factor that enhances resilience,

2) resilience is a process, children acquire the ability to use internal and external resources in order to mobilise adaptive processes in face of adversity,

3) recovery from traumatic events.

Meaning of the word: resilience

• In physics, resilience means: flexibility, elasticity,

• In psychology it means: resistance, elasticity, flexibility, good adaptation, rejuvenation,

• effective overcoming of negative effectsand life events.

Flourishing… is not just overcoming life problems through

resilience but also achieving optimal functioning at any age: physical health, satisfaction and happiness. It encompasses:

• Generativity (supporting the future generations) (McAdams, de St. Aubin, 1992),

• purpose in life (Keys, 2002)

• positive emotions: love, respect (Fredrickson, 2004)

• growth and activity (Fredrickson i Losada, 2005)

Emily Greenfield (2009): an The obligation to help others is the best way to maintain self-esteem, growth and to combat depression, especially in the elderly.

Lara Aknin i in. (2012):

Money brings happiness if we spend it on others

•Three generational family: grandchildren, parents, grandparents,Grandparents help: with the farm, childcare, financially,•emotional support through solidarity, close relations between generations,•each generation benefits

The Flourishing Household

References

Aknin, L.B., Dunn, E. W., Norton, M. I. (2012). Happiness Runs in a Circular Motion: Evidence for a Positive Feedback Loop between Prosocial Spending and Happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies,13, 347-355. Greenfineld, E.A. (2009). Felt obligation to help others as a protective factor against losses in psychological well-being following functional decline in middle and later life. Journal of Gerontology:Psychological Sciences, 64B(6), 723–732. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbp074. Advance Access publication on October 13, 2009. Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 359, 1367-1377. Fredrickson, B. L., Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive affect and complex dynamics of human flourishing. American Psychologist, 60, 678-686. Kalil, A., Eccles, J. (1994, February). Parent-adolescent relationships, parenting behaviours, and maternal well-being in single vs. two-parent black families. Presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence. San Diego. CA. Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 207-222. Kleist, D. (1999). Single-Parent Families: A difference that makes a difference? The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 7(4), 373-378. McLoyd, V. C. (1990). The impact of economic hardship on Black families and children: Psychological distress, parenting, and socioemotional development. Child Development, 61, 311-346.

References cont. Miszczuk, E., Miszczuk-Wereszczyńska, M. (2009). Samotna matka w społeczeństwie obywatelskim. Diagnoza aktywności dolnośląskich kobiet [Single mother in civil society. The assessment of social involvement of women from Lower Silesia]. Retrieved from: www.fundacjairs.org/projekty/samotna-matka/ Napora, E. (2012). Uwarunkowania komunikacji samotnego rodzica z dorastającym tej samej płci [Factors affecting single parent-adolescent communication in homogenous diads]. Polskie Forum Psychologiczne, 17,1, 155-170. [Polish Psychological Forum]. Napora, E. (2012, May). Struktura rodziny, wiek i płeć dorastających jako uwarunkowania odbioru komunikacji matek [Family structure and adolescent's gender as factors determining single mother's communication]. Referat przedstawiony na XXI Ogólnopolskiej Konferencji Psychologii Rozwojowej, Zielona Góra [Presented at XXI National Developmental Psychology Conference], Zielona Góra Ostaszewski, K. (2009, February). Czynniki wspierające i chroniące rozwój dzieci i młodzieży [Risk and protective factors affecting child and adolescent development]. Prezentacja podczas IV Forum Profilaktyki, METIS, Chorzów [Presented at IV METRIS Prevention Forum, Chorzów]. Retrieved from: www.zks.nq.pl/pedagog/czynniki.pdf

www.wns.ajd.czest.pl/granpa

The project is under

the patronage of:

Thank you for your attention