Kiersten Gonzalez, “Estranged Grandparents”
Mentor: Erin Parcell, Communication
Poster #75
This project involves qualitative interviews with parents who (a) have children between the ages of 5-17 years old and (b) are estranged from their own parents. The study’s purpose is to understand how parents talk to their children about being estranged from their own parent(s) [the grandparent(s)]. The interviews are being conducted by graduate students as well as communication faculty from both UWM and Illinois State University. The interviews are conducted in a way that each participant can tell their own story to the interviewer, and data is collected from each participant’s story. Initial findings from the project include how the topic of estrangement was brought up and communicated to the children, and at what age the child was when these conversations were being held. Among the current participants (n = 18), about 27% have not had conversations with their children about the estrangement, and the median age that parents talked to their child about the estrangement was seven years old, with a range of 3-18. Of those who have had conversations with their children, half were brought up due to the child asking questions about their parent and grandparents’ relationship. The findings suggest that parents and children are probably more likely to talk about the estrangement when children are younger, and the child is the one asking the questions about the parent and grandparents’ relationship. The findings in the ongoing research can help to better understand how and when parents who are in situations like these might best communicate with their children about their family history and dynamics.