Through the eyes of grandparents: an in-depth exploration of the nexus between grandchild caring and the psychological well-being of older grandparents

Abstract

BackgroundGrandchild caring has positive as well as negative impact on the grandparents’ psychological well-being and the findings are varied by culture and country.MethodsPresent study was intended to understand the relationship between caring for grandchildren and psychological well-being of grandparents living in skipped (SGH) and multi-generational households (MGH) in Indian demographical context. The present research involved In-depth Interviews (IDI) focusing on grandparents above 60 and grandchildren below 18, where the elder played a crucial role in caregiving. The study area was Malda, a district of West Bengal in India. Purposively 24 IDIs were selected. Psychological well-being was measured using open-ended questions. Thematic and content analyses were adopted to understand the perspective of grandparents.ResultsMost of the grandparents from SGH reported depression word frequently, while grandparents from MGH reported happy. In the content analysis, grandparents from SGH expressed tension, mental turmoil, and worry about grandchild’s future. On the contrary, grandparents from MGH expressed happy, companionship, and worry about grandchild’s future. Further, full time caring, compulsive reason behind grandchild caring, and working status were linked with living in SGH and grandchild caring, which were in turn connected with deteriorate psychological health. However, in MGH, a different scenario was observed, most grandparents were partially and non-compulsively engaged in grandchild caring and had expressed positive mental health.ConclusionsThe Findings provide an intervention implication, particularly in the context of India’s ageing population and their well-being by acknowledging the influence of household structure, caring intensity, motive behind grandchild caring, and working status on their psychological health. Understanding the importance of these key factors may help the policy maker and the individual to incorporate the most effective intervention to achieve sustainable development goal 3 and healthy ageing.