Interesting question since there are about 4 million grandchildren living under their grandparent's roof. A recent study by Maximiliane E. Szinovacz, Stanley DeViney, and Maxine P. Atkinson sheds some light on what life is like in those households. The researchers found gender differences in how grandparents were affected. Surrogate grandfathers tend to escape from their homes once grandchildren move in. Grandmothers, on the other hand, seek and find support from relatives and friends.
Grandfathers also seem to benefit from the grandchildren's companionship.
Grandmothers, on the other hand, take the main burden of childcare, and this burden apparently leads to stress symptoms. Long-term stays of grandchildren seems to be particularly difficult when the grandchild's mother is also in the household. There has been a 44 percent increase in the number of children living with grandparents according to the 1990 census. As a result, you can expect more research into this area as more and more grandparents take on the role of full-time caregiver for their grandchildren. The Journal of Gerontology is a publication of The Gerontological Society of America, the national organization of professionals in the field of aging.