Providing Care For Grandchildren Research Articles

GRANDPARENTAL CHILDCARE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES AND HEALTH: EVIDENCE FROM ENGLAND

It is well recognised that grandparents play a vital economic and social role in providing grandchild care to families. In the UK, about two million grandparents provide care to their grandchildren for at least ten hours per week. However, to date, little is known about the nature and extent of care they provide and whether, and how, this relates to socio-economic and health inequalities. In this paper, we use wave 8 of the nationally representative English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Using latent class analysis, we developed profiles of grandparent childcare combining newly collected information on the activities grandparents do with or for their grandchildren, as well as on the extent of (periodicity, frequency, and intensity), and motivations for such care. Using regressions, we then examined the extent to which grandparents’ involvement in childcare is patterned according to current and lifetime socio-economic characteristics and whether such inequalities are an important modifier of the relationship between grandparenting and mental and physical health. Preliminary results suggest that more advantaged grandparents are the ones undertaking less arduous caring tasks and for shorter periods whereas those looking after grandchildren more intensively and for financial reasons are more likely to be of less advantageous backgrounds (not married, low-educated, not homeowners, and poorer). Moreover, undertaking more frequent and challenging grandchild care activities seems to be associated with poorer health but only among grandparents in the more disadvantaged groups. Our results contribute to better understand the nature of grandparental childcare and its effect on health.

Caring for Grandchildren and Grandparents’ Physical and Mental Health Changes

Using the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging Waves 1–5, we examined how the transition and duration of grandchild care influenced the health of grandparents. The participants in this study were 5870 KLoSA grandparents who had one or more grandchildren. Using latent class analysis grandparents were classified into four groups: provided continuous grandchild care, initiated grandchild care, stopped grandchild care, and did not engage in grandchild care. Using growth curve modeling analysis the differences in initial level and changes over time in health of these four groups of grandparents were analyzed. The primary results were that the initial physical and mental health status of these four groups of grandparents were different. Grandparents who reported a lower level of physical pain were more likely to initiate grandchild care, whereas grandparents who reported increased pain over time were more likely to stop providing grandchild care. Subjective health of grandparents who took care of their grandchildren increased when they stopped caring for their grandchildren. These results indicated that whether or not grandparents provided care to their grandchild appears to be determined by the initial health of grandparents. However, there was little difference in the changes in physical and mental over time between the grandchild care classes.

Consequences on depression of combining grandparental childcare with other caregiving roles

Objective: This study examines the effect of combining grandchild care with other care roles on depression among individuals aged 50 to 84. Previous research investigating the health consequences of multiple care roles among older adults found mixed evidence, with most studies being predominantly cross-sectional.Methods: We use longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to understand how grandparents’ mental health, measured as depressive symptoms, is affected when combining multiple care roles. We estimate logistic regression models, for grandfathers and grandmothers separately, to investigate how depression at wave 2 is affected by multiple care roles at wave 1, controlling for depression at baseline.Results: Consistent with previous studies, we find that providing grandchild care only reduces risk of depression for grandmothers, but not for grandfathers. For both genders, we find a higher risk of depression among those who provide intensive care to co-residents. The negative effect of grandchild care on depression found for grandmothers disappears if they also provide other types of care. In particular, grandmothers who provide care both to grandchildren and to a sick or disabled person show a higher risk of depression compared to those who only provide grandchild care.Conclusions: While multiple caregiving roles are not common, it is important to understand their combined effect on caregivers’ health. Grandmothers who provide childcare and other intensive types of care may lose the positive effects grandchild care exert over their wellbeing.

Caught in the middle in mid-life: provision of care across multiple generations

AbstractWith a large baby-boomer generation entering mid-later life in the United Kingdom, and families spanning across multiple generations, understanding how individuals support multiple generations is of increasing research and policy significance. Data from the British 1958 National Child Development Study, collected when respondents were aged 55, are used to examine how mid-life women and men allocate their time to support elderly parents/parents-in-law and their own adult children in terms of providing grandchild care, and whether there is a trade-off in caring for different generations. Binary logistic and multinomial regression models distinguish between individuals supporting multiple generations, only one generation or none. One-third of mid-life individuals are ‘sandwiched’ between multiple generations, by having at least one parent/parent-in-law and one grandchild alive. Among them, half are simultaneously supporting both generations. Caring for grandchildren increases the probability of also supporting one's parents/parents-in-law, and vice versa. More intense support for one generation is associated with a higher likelihood of supporting the other generation. Good health is associated with caring for multiple generations for men and women, while working part-time or not at all is associated with such care provision for women only. Facilitating mid-life men and women in responding to family support demands whilst maintaining paid employment will be critical in fostering future intergenerational support.

Grandparenting, education and subjective well-being of older Europeans.

We study whether grandparenthood is associated with older people's subjective well-being (SWB), considering the association with life satisfaction of having grandchildren per se, their number, and of the provision of grandchild care. Older people's education may not only be an important confounder to control for, but also a moderator in the relation between grandparenthood-related variables and SWB. We investigate these issues by adopting a cross-country comparative perspective and using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe covering 20 countries. Our results show that grandparenthood has a stronger positive association with SWB in countries where intensive grandparental childcare is not common and less socially expected. Yet, this result is driven by a negative association between grandparenthood without grandparental childcare and SWB that we only found in countries where intensive grandparental childcare is widespread. Therefore, in accordance with the structural ambivalence theory, we argue that in countries where it is socially expected for grandparents to have a role as providers of childcare, not taking on such a role may negatively influence SWB. However, our results show that grandparental childcare (either intensive or not) is generally associated with higher SWB. Overall, we do not find support for a moderating effect of education. We also do not find striking differences by gender in the association between grandparenthood and SWB. The only noteworthy discrepancy refers to grandmothers being often more satisfied when they provide grandchild care.

Retirement and Grandchild Care in Urban China

ABSTRACTThis study estimates the causal effect of retirement on grandchild care in urban China. It utilizes the exogenous variations in retirement status caused by China’s mandatory retirement-age policy. Drawing on the data of individuals close to retirement age from the 2011 and 2013 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), the analysis shows a statistically significant increase of 29 percentage points in the provision of grandchild care after the transition to retirement for women and a 21 percentage-point increase for men. Moreover, the study finds that grandchild care is demand driven for men and supply driven for women. It also finds that women with lower education levels have a lower probability of retirement after reaching eligible age but are more likely to provide grandchild care after retirement.

Education Inequalities in Health Among Older European Men and Women: The Role of Active Aging.

We assessed whether education inequalities in health among older people can be partially explained by different levels of active aging among educational groups. We applied logistic regression and the Karlson, Holm, & Breen (KHB) decomposition method using the 2010 and 2012 waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe on individuals aged 50+ years ( N = 27,579). Active aging included social participation, paid work, and provision of grandchild care. Health was measured by good self-perceived health, low number of depressive symptoms, and absence of limitations because of health in activities people usually do. We found a positive educational gradient for each of the three health measures. Up to a third of the health gaps between high and low educated were associated with differences in engagement in active aging activities. Policies devoted at stimulating an active participation in society among older people should be particularly focused on lower educated groups.

GRANDPARENTS CARING FOR GRANDCHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA

The United States and China have very different social norms and expectations regarding providing care to grandchildren. This study is interested in how providing grandchild care is shaped by these two cultures. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (wave 2013) and data from the Health and Retirement Study (Wave 2012), we compared the prevalence and characteristics of grandparents caring for grandchildren in the United States and China. The sample comprises of 9,676 American grandparents (Mage = 64) and 6,527 Chinese grandparents (Mage = 60) aged 45 and over. Providing grandchild care is more prevalent in China (50%) than in the U.S. (31%). The US grandparent caregivers are disproportional females (78% verses 52% in China), whereas Chinese grandparent caregivers are disproportional married (78% verses 57% in the US). The U.S. and China share some determinants in providing grandchild care, such as age, gender, education level, mobility, household size, and numbers of dependent children grandparents have. However, there are significant differences. The US grandparents who are married and healthier are more likely to provide care, whereas Chinese grandparents who are in better economic status and have fewer adult children are more likely to provide care. Findings of this study suggest that grandparents’ availability and abilities to provide care are two important aspects in determining care provision in both countries, although these two aspects may be manifested by different factors in each country. Future study may explore more characteristics of grandparent caregivers and differentiate types of grandchild care.

Pathways to grandparents’ provision of care in skipped-generation households in Thailand

ABSTRACTIn many parts of the world, grandparents live with their grandchildren in ‘skipped-generation households’ in which no parent resides. In Thailand, this living arrangement is more common in rural areas where parents often migrate to find employment. The focus of this article is on how grandparents make the decision to live in skipped-generation households. Our study is based upon open-ended interviews with 48 grandparents who lived in three rural areas of Thailand. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, the analysis uncovers several factors that contribute to grandparents’ decisions about their living arrangements. These factors include: norms about care-giving and family obligation, inadequate child-care options, the need for financial support, problematic relationships within the family and a desire for companionship. We also identify three different decision-making patterns: grandparents initiating the decision to provide grandchild care, adult children asking grandparents to assume this role and adult children abandoning grandchildren to the grandparents. Based upon these findings, we provide implications for practice that address the conditions of grandparents and their family members.

A Study on the Relationship between Providing Care for Grandchildren and the Health of Middle and Old-aged Women

본 연구는 종단적 시각에서 손자녀 돌봄 유형과 중·고령층 여성의 건강과의 관계를 살펴봄으로써, 한국 여성노인의 노후생활에 대한 이해를 제고하는데 그 의미가 있다. 이를 위해 국민노후보장패널 2 차년도 자료부터 5차년도 자료를 사용하여 손자녀 돌봄 유형을 돌봄지속, 돌봄전이, 돌봄중단, 미돌봄 으로 구분하고 이 유형들이 50대 이상 중·고령층 여성의 신체건강 및 정신건강에 미치는 영향을 알아 보고자 하였다. 연구결과, 인구사회학적 요인을 통제한 상태에서 손자녀를 돌보지 않는 여성에 비해 손자녀를 돌보다가 중단한 여성일수록 좋은 신체건강 수준을 보였다. 하지만 손자녀 돌봄 경험은 여성 의 정신건강에 유의미한 영향을 보이지 않았다. 이를 통해, 손자녀 돌봄 유형이 중·고령층에 있는 여성 의 신체건강과 정신건강에 미치는 영향은 다를 수 있음을 확인하였다. 본 연구의 결과를 바탕으로, 손 자녀 돌봄을 제공하는 여성노인의 건강한 노후생활을 위한 후속 연구의 필요성 및 제고방안을 논의하 였다.

The impact of intensive grandchild care on depressive symptoms among older Koreans.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of intensive grandchild care on depressive symptoms among grandparents. We used data from 2008 to 2012 of the Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging. Using the data from 2008 at baseline, data included 5129 individuals aged 50 years and more without depression with at least one grandchild. A generalized estimating equation was used to investigate the impact of intensive grandchild care on depressive symptoms. Investigated factors included the intensity of grandchild care, measured by hours spent caring for a grandchild per week: (i) none (0 h); (ii) non-intensive grandchild care (1-39 h); and intensive grandchild care (≥40 h). Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Among 5128 participants from 2008 to 2012, 3.0% were providing non-intensive grandchildren care, and 1.9% were providing intensive grandchild care. Compared with grandparents providing no grandchild care, those who provided intensive grandchild care experienced reduced depressive symptoms (β = -0.51 [p = 0.007] vs. no childcare). Men (β = -1.22 [p = 0.012] vs. no childcare) providing intensive grandchild care experienced a greater reduction in depressive symptoms compared with women (β = -0.44 [p = 0.029] vs. no childcare) providing grandchild care. Grandparents who were receiving financial support from adult children were more likely to experience reduced depressive symptoms than those not receiving such support. The results of this study reveal that intensive grandchild care is associated with lower depressive symptoms among older adults, particularly men. The findings emphasize the importance of encouraging older adults to participate in grandchild care, regardless of gender. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Grandparents providing care for grandchildren: implications for economic preparation for later life in South Korea

ABSTRACTMounting concern about economic preparation for later life combined with a growing number of grandparents providing grandchild care is fuelling increased interest in these topics in Korea. However, few studies have evaluated the relationship between providing care to grandchildren and economic behaviour. Guided by intergenerational exchange theory, this paper analyses the relationships between providing grandchild care and monetary compensation for care, and economic preparation for later life. Data come from a sub-sample of 2,599 grandmothers in the Korean Retirement and Income Study who have a grandchild under the age of ten, 279 of whom report providing regular care to grandchildren. Controlling for age, education, marital status and household income, the average amount of grandchild care provided per week is a significant negative predictor of economic preparation for later life among grandmothers. However, receiving financial compensation for providing grandchild care is not significantly related to economic preparation and did not mediate or moderate the relationship between amount of care provided and economic preparation. The implications of these findings and limitations of this study are also discussed.

Do Grandchildren Influence How Old You Feel?

Guided by the acknowledged importance of measures of aging alternative to chronological age, we explored the association between subjective age, on the one hand, and having grandchildren and provision of grandchild care, on the other, by gender and age groups. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; N = 1,701 men and 2,395 women aged 50-85) and linear regression models were used to test two hypotheses. Grandparents feel older than their grandchildless counterparts at younger ages, but such association is reversed in later life if they look after their grandchildren. A cumulative negative association between subjective age and both having grandchildren and providing grandchild care holds for older women. This study extends prior research by examining age and gender differences in factors associated with subjective age. The findings suggest that grandparenthood is central in shaping the personal experience of aging. Future studies should address the causality of the factors analyzed.

Regular provision of grandchild care and participation in social activities

Against the background of rapid population ageing, studying social participation in later life is of particular relevance within the framework of active ageing. Although caring for grandchildren has taken a central role for older persons due to unprecedented overlap between grandparents’ and their grandchildren’s lives, whether the relationship between grandparental childcare and social activities is characterised by cumulation or competition remains under-explored. Grandparental childcare may increase the purpose in life for grandparents, stimulating their social participation, or it may impose time and energy constraints on it. This study aims to assess the effect of providing grandchild care on participation in social activities for people aged 50–85 in Europe. Using an instrumental variable approach on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we find no significant negative effects of grandchild care on engagement in at least one social activity. However, regular provision of grandchild care has a significant negative effect on the number of activities in which grandmothers participate. When considering the activities separately by type we also find, for grandmothers only, a negative effect on volunteering, engagement in educational or training courses and participation in political or community-related organisation.

The maintaining and improving effect of grandchild care provision on elders’ mental health—Evidence from longitudinal study in Taiwan

ObjectiveThis study aims to determine the impact of grandchild care provision on elders’ mental health by self-comparison and longitudinal study design. MethodInformation of 2930 grandparents from the Study of Health and Living Status of the Middle-Aged and Elderly in Taiwan were analysed. Elders’ mental health was evaluated by Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale in both 2003 and 2007. Participants were divided into 4 groups based on their changing behaviour of caring for grandchildren from 2003 to 2007. Chi-square test was used to compare changes in elders’ individual characteristics and total CESD scores between and within groups. ANOVA was used to compare the means of elders’ depressive symptoms between groups while paired-t test was used to compare changes in elders’ depression symptoms from 2003 to 2007. Logistic regression was performed to determine the associations between elders' changing behaviour of caring for grandchildren and changes in depressive symptoms. ResultsElders continuously caring for grandchildren or started to take care of grandchildren significantly felt happier and enjoyed life more than before and more than elders who do not provide grandchild care. Logistic regression analyses exploring the impact of grandchild care provision found that elders provided no grandchild care had worst mental health amongst all. Elders stopped providing grandchild care had significantly higher risk of developing depressive symptoms (OR=1.40) than elders provided no grandchild care at all time. DiscussionBy self-comparison, this study illustrates how taking care of grandchildren maintains elders’ mental health, especially against them from loneliness and depression.

The Health Impact of Intensive and Nonintensive Grandchild Care in Europe: New Evidence From SHARE.

Objectives:Grandparents are an important source of childcare. However, caring for grandchildren may affect grandparents’ health in both positive and negative ways. Our study examines the association between grandparental childcare and grandparents’ health at 2- and 4-year follow-up.Method:Our study is based on grandparents aged 50 and older from Waves 1–4 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Using multivariate analyses, we investigated associations between intensive and nonintensive grandparental childcare at Wave 2 and subsequent health (self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and disability) controlling for covariates and health at baseline. Associations between changes over time in grandparental childcare and health at follow-up were also explored. Multiple imputation techniques and sensitivity analyses were undertaken to investigate possible biases arising from sample attrition.Results:Grandparents looking after grandchildren, whether intensively or nonintensively, experienced some health benefits. Associations strengthened when attrition was accounted for, particularly if it is assumed that those who dropped out of the study were in poor health.Discussion:Our results show better health among grandparents who provided grandchild care in the European countries studied. These results are important given the widespread provision of grandchild care in Europe.

The Effects of Grandparents’ Providing Care for Grandchildren on Mothers’ Attitudes of Coresidence with Elderly Parents: Focusing on Differences between Parents and Parents-in-Law

The Effects of Grandparents’ Providing Care for Grandchildren on Mothers’ Attitudes of Coresidence with Elderly Parents: Focusing on Differences between Parents and Parents-in-Law

Grandparenting Roles and Volunteer Activity.

We examine whether grandparenting roles are related to formal volunteering among older adults. Logistic regression is used to examine the likelihood of volunteering based on grandchild care using data from the 2004 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 13,785). Longitudinal analyses utilize treatment effects models to examine changes in volunteering for grandparents who begin nonresidential grandchild care between the 2004 and 2008 waves (n = 10,811). Results show that grandparents raising coresidential grandchildren have lower odds of volunteering than grandparents providing no regular grandchild care. However, grandparents who provide nonresidential grandchild care are more likely to volunteer than grandparents not providing grandchild care and those raising a coresidential grandchild. Grandparents who provide nonresidential care for grandchildren engage in more volunteering before assuming grandchild care, and their volunteerism increases after becoming a caregiver for a grandchild. Consistent with resource theory and the accumulation of roles, providing nonresidential grandchild care may draw grandparents into formal volunteer activity. The lower human capital resources evidenced by grandparents raising coresidential grandchildren may play a role in their lower likelihood of formal volunteering.

Psychological health and provision of grandchild care in non-custodial ‘baby boomer’ grandparents

Our study explored the relationships between baby boomer grandparents’ mental health and the multiple roles they commonly fulfil: Grandchild care, other family care, home duties, and paid work. There is limited research on non-custodial grandparenting. Studies to date have suggested that psychosocial distress may be more associated with satisfaction levels than with actual time spent on activities, but these studies are mainly qualitative and have not always excluded grandparents who only provide secondary grandchild care. Our on-line survey asked 148 non-custodial Australian boomer grandparents (90 female, 58 male) providing regular sole or primary childcare for at least one grandchild about their experiences. Spearman correlations confirmed significant correlations between satisfaction and psychological health (distress and self-esteem), whereas time spent providing care was not significantly related to psychological health. Unlike previous researchers we identified few significant gender differences, perhaps because we focussed on grandparents providing sole or primary care. These outcomes provide direction for parents, grandparents, and policy makers addressing the needs of this social group.

Structured ambivalence in grandchild care and the quality of life among European grandparents.

This study employs the concept of structured ambivalence to analyse the effect of grandchild care on quality of life (QoL) in different cultural contexts. We define structured ambivalence as the contradiction between behaviour and cultural norms. The analysis is based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe with 14 countries in the sample. We focus on grandparents aged 50 and over with at least one grandchild 12years old or younger (n=12,740). In countries with high grandparent obligations, grandparents who did not look after their grandchildren reported a lower quality of life. Compliance with such grandparental obligations (e.g. providing grandchild care in a country with high grandparent obligations) was found to increase the QoL of grandparents. Family policy should consider family practices that better match the realities of current grandparents' lives in order to reduce structured ambivalence and increase the QoL of grandparents.