Grandmotherhood: Contemporary Meaning among African American Middle-Class Grandmothers

Noting the historical tradition and strengths of family extendedness in the African American community, this research explored how contemporary middle-class African American grandmothers perceive themselves in relation to their children. Stepwise multiple regression analysis yielded a moderate relationship between the values of 100 grandchildren to 100 middle-class African American grandmothers, timing of role assumption, and current situational context. Values included expansion of self; morality or altruism; power, influence, or effectance; social identity; affiliation; creativity, accomplishment, or competence; social comparison or competition; and stimulation. The findings link the latent meanings and active functions of grandmotherhood and support establishment of vertically extended family-centered policy models.