Emotional Relations With Grandparents and Received Support: The Adolescent View

Abstract

Following concepts of solidarity and intergenerational ambivalence, the present study focuses on the perspectives of high school students (N = 155) aged 12 to 21 to describe their relationships to maternal and paternal grandparents with respect to (a) emotional quality and (b) grandparental support. Based on the frequency of positive and negative emotions, a classification approach is adopted to determine patterns of relationship quality. Parental lineage differences are found with regard to size and profile of clusters. Cluster comparisons regarding appraisals of received grandparental support (emotional, instrumental, material) indicate that support is significantly diminished if relations become disharmonious or detached.