General health and relationship quality in late life: Grandchildren's perspectives of their grandparents' wellness

Extended longevity in the United States has allowed older adults added decades of intergenerational family relationships. Their health conditions, however, may interrupt them from active engagement with their grandchildren's lives. On the other hand, the quality of social and family relationship impacts older adults' general health. The current study examined the relationships between older adults' general health and their intergenerational relationship quality. An online survey was conducted in a mid-size Midwestern university to examine grandchildren's perspectives of their grandparent-grandchild relationship quality. The current study focused on the participants who were ages 18 to 27 (M=20.16, SD=1.466) with at least one living grandparent (N=470, M age=20.16, SD=1.466). The age of the participants' grandparents ranged from 47 to 94 (M=74.6819, SD=7.75625). The survey contained questions on the participants' retrospective views of grandparent roles and relationship quality with their grandparents in three stages: childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. The survey also included questions on their grandparents' demographic and health characteristics. The participants' grandparents' general health was also assessed in the three stages. Grandparent's general health at each of their grandchild's stage was significantly associated with the grandchildren's perceptions of grandparenting quality and with grandparent-grandchild relationship closeness. Grandparents' relationship with their grandchildren was also associated with the grandchildren's self-esteem. Multiple factors that link the grandparent's health and their relationship qualities were also explored.