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Grandparents and Stepgrandparents

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Stepfamily Relationships

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Abstract

Are intergenerational bonds important in stepfamilies? Changes in longevity, fertility, and marital stability have important implications for stepfamilies. The effects of custody and gender on grandparent–grandchild relationships in stepfamilies are presented in this chapter, as is information about stepgrandparents (39 % of American families have stepgrandparents). There are several pathways to becoming a stepgrandparent (i.e., long-term, later-life, skip-generation, and inherited), and these pathways are critical to the development of stepgrandparent–stepgrandchild relationships. The small body of research on former stepgrandparents, and how and why these relationships are maintained or not is also reviewed. Grandparents and stepgrandparents can have significant roles in families, and the rapid increase in multigenerational stepfamilies has made this a fertile area for future research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Lawrence Ganong & Marilyn Coleman

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  1. Lawrence Ganong
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  2. Marilyn Coleman
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Ganong, L., Coleman, M. (2017). Grandparents and Stepgrandparents. In: Stepfamily Relationships. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7702-1_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7702-1_11

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