The Relationships of Divorced Grandparents with Their Grandchildren

Abstract

In recent years, divorce at a later age has increased in Israel as well as in other developed countries, and there are more grandparents who go through a divorce. The purpose of this study was to examine the meaning of divorced grandparents’ relationship with their grandchildren. Employing a qualitative methodology, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 divorced Israeli grandparents aged 54–81. Analysis of the interviews identified several themes: Informing the grandchildren about the divorce and their response; the effect of the relationships between the divorced grandparents on the grandchildren’s perception of the divorce; the effect of the relationship with the parents' generation on relations between grandparents and grandchildren; the relationship with the grandchildren. The results show that grandparents who experience divorce continue to be involved in their grandchildren's life, although some changes can be seen following the divorce process.