Effect of grandparenting on grandparents' mental health in Taiwan

Background: As considerable literature has suggested that caregiving grandparents usually suffer poorer mental and physical health, most of these studies were conducted in western societies. Little has been done and known regarding this topic in eastern societies. To fill this gap, this study uses data from Taiwan to extend the knowledge of grandparenting to a cultural context that differs from the United States, where the majority of the research in this area has been conducted. The main purpose of this study is to examine the influence of grandparenting on grandparents' mental health. Methods: Data are from 2552 grandparents aged 58 years and older in the 2003 Study of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan. Hierarchical regressions are used to test the main effect of grandparenting and the mediation effect of social support on grandparents' depressive symptoms. Results: Contrary to the findings based on western societies, grandparents who often provide childcare were found to report less depressive symptoms than those who do not. Nevertheless, grandparents who live in skipped-generation households did report more depressive symptoms compared to their counterparts who live with adult children. As social support provides protective effect on grandparents' mental health, it does not mediate the relationship between caregiving and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: While this study finds beneficial effect of grandparenting on grandparents' mental health, it also suggests that providing care in times of family crisis or financial hardship can be detrimental. By building upon these findings, more focused and personal intervention could be developed.