Date of Conferral

3-6-2025

Degree

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

School

Psychology

Advisor

Silvia Bigatti

Abstract

Since 2015, the number of retirees relocating after retirement has increased significantly, leading grandparents to be distant from their grandchildren. Isolation and distance from families has increased due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to high rates of loneliness and isolation for older adults. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to explore experiences during COVID-19 for grandparents geographically distanced from their grandchildren. This research was grounded using Erikson’s psychosocial developmental theory, with a focus on the maturity stage, and thematic analysis was used to guide interviews and analysis. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit five grandparents residing in a retirement community in Central Florida for semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Four subthemes emerged from data: transitional moves when relocating to Florida, hardships in life, which led to resilience, strong pre-COVID relationships due to generational values and family support, and during COVID-19 no major increase in stress or decrease in relationships with grandchildren were reported by participants. This led to the development of one centralized theme: Psychological strength in older adults led to grandparents viewing COVID-19 as less threatening and experienced no disturbances in the grandparent-grandchild relationship. This research demonstrated potential for social change because it involved identifying how successful completion of each of Erikson’s psychosocial developmental stages can be reached.

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