Demographic and health predictors of perceived grandparental quality and its effects on grandchildren

Extended longevity has given older adults more years of involvement with their grandchildren. Given adequate resources, grandparents strive to be generative and to support their grandchildren in various ways. Given adequate resources, grandparents strive to be generative and to support their grandchildren in various ways. The current study examined predictors of grandparental efforts (grandparents' education, economic status and health) and their effects on grandchildren's anticipation of grandparenthood and their sense of understanding older adults in general. Young adults (N = 470) aged 18 to 27 who responded to an online survey were asked to rate their grandparents' grandparenting quality and general health retrospectively in three stages: childhood (up to age 12), adolescence (age 2-18), young adulthood. Grandparents' socioeconomic status was expected to predict their health and perceived grandparenting quality. Grandparenting quality was expected to predict young adults' perceptions of grandparents as a positive influence on their lives and to increase anticipation of grandparenthood. Path analysis revealed that grandparents' education predicted their economic status and perceived grandparenting quality. Grandparents' economic status predicted general health status, which, in turn, predicted perceived grandparening quality. Perceived grandparenting quality predicted grandchildren's anticipation of grandparenthood and perceived better understanding of older generations. Specifically noteworthy, based on the standardized coefficient in the path model, were the nearly quadrepled effects of general health status on perceived grandparenting quality compared to grandparents' education level. Implications of the findings are discussed.