Haudenosaunee Grandmothers Caring for their Grandchildren: The Process of Assuming the Caregiving Role

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the processes, motivations, and reasons for Aboriginal grandmothers assuming the full-time caregiving role for their grandchildren. Fifteen Haudenosaunee grandmothers who were from the Six Nations community participated in this study. The results indicate that a series of complex factors, circumstances, and processes contributed to them caring for their grandchildren. Of particular significance is that, prior to assuming their full-time caregiving roles, they had intermittently cared for their grandchildren as a means of preventing family breakdown. Many of them were accustomed to this type of care arrangement as over half of the grandmothers had been cared for by their grandmothers or great-mothers. Ultimately, they cared for their grandchildren as a means of “keeping the state’s hands off” their grandchildren and avoiding child welfare involvement. Furthermore, the women in this study served as important vital roles for healing in Aboriginal families and communities.