The Reflections of Grandmothers’ Care on Mothers’ Child- Rearing Practices

Abstract

This research employed a qualitative descriptive design to explore the reflections of grandmothers’ caregiving on mothers’ child care practices. Within the research framework, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 mothers, whose children received or are receiving care from their own mothers or mothers-in-law. Following a thematic analysis of the acquired data, three prominent themes emerged: views on child rearing styles, challenges associated with grandmother care, and opportunities related to grandmother care. The results indicate variations in child-rearing styles between mothers and grandmothers, with instances of both alignment and divergence. While grandmother care poses multifaceted challenges to the mother, child or mother-child relationship, it concurrently affords opportunities for increased maternal-child bonding and enhanced comfort in the child care process for the mother. The research findings demonstrate the multidimensional nature of grandmother care process, underscoring the necessity for support mechanisms such as institutional trainings and social services to mitigate potential adverse reflections of this process. Future research could explore different dimensions and long-term reflections of grandmother care.