Grand Parenting & coping

with bereavement
-Samjhana Chaulagain
 Grand parenting
❖ What is grand parenting?
Grandparenting refers to the role and relationship of
grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren.
● People usually become grandparents in middle age
at an average age of 50 for women and 52 for men
( Troll, 1983).

● The study of Bernice Neugarten has shown five

stages /styles of grandparenting and they are:
i. The formal - grandparents leave child rearing to the
parents & occasionally baby sit and offer special treats.
ii.The fun seeks- becomes playmate of grandchildren in
a mutual relation and both enjoys.
iii. The surrogate parent- care taking
responsibility goes to grandparents usually
because the both of the parents are working
and left the children in grandparent.
iv. The surrogate parent- care taking
responsibility goes to grandparents usually
because the both of the parents are working
and left the children in grandparent.
v. The distant figure : who has
occasional contact with the grandchildren
on holiday and birthdays but in
essentially remote from their lives .
To sum up,
Elder grandparents mostly follow the
formal & distant grandparenting styles.
 FACTORS DETERMINING GRAND
PARENTING
a. Sex- Grand mothers tend to have closer , warmer relationship and to serve
,male often as surrogate parents than grandchildren .

b. Age of grandchildren- The younger ones likes to get love ,food and presents as
formal grandparents) , the middle group want mutuality in the relationship and
emphasized share activity ( fun seekers) and oldest one prefer indulgence rather
than mutuality. As grandchildren grow older they tend to be distant from
grandparents..
Coping with Bereavement
 Bereavement
Bereavement is the experience of losing someone important to us.It refers to the experience of grief and mourning following
the death of a loved one. It is a significant life event that can have profound emotional, psychological, and developmental
effects on individuals across the lifespan.

Types of grief ;

1) Normal Grief - typical reaction person has when coping with loss . Such as crying ,anger .
2) Anticipatory grief- grief felt before the actual loss happens
3) Complicated grief -when person’s grief is intense and ongoing for many weeks , creating abnormal reaction.
4) Sudden loss - when person experiences unexpected loss .

❖ Several theories to understand how individuals cope bereavement are :

a. Kübler-Ross Model (Five Stages of Grief): Proposed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her book "On Death and Dying"
(1969), this model suggests that individuals go through five stages of grief when faced with a terminal illness or death:
denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance are the stages of coping bereavement.
b. Bowlby's Attachment Theory: Developed by John Bowlby, this theory focuses on the importance of attachment bonds
in early childhood and throughout life. When a loved one dies, individuals experience a disruption in their attachment
bond, leading to feelings of loss, sadness, and grief. Bowlby's theory highlights the significance of secure attachment
relationships in coping with bereavement. Stages of Bereavement by Bowlby are :
- Protest
- Disorganisation
- Reorganisation