Which activities do great-grandparents and great-grandchildren share in family contexts? An analysis of a new intergenerational relationship.

  1. Castañeda-García, Pedro Javier 1
  2. Cruz-Santana, Vanesa 1
  3. Hernández-Garrido, Fayna 1
  4. Díaz-Rodríguez, Paula 1
  5. Romero-González, Sara 1
  1. 1 Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain)
Revista:
Anales de psicología

ISSN: 0212-9728 1695-2294

Año de publicación: 2021

Volumen: 37

Número: 2

Páginas: 265-275

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.6018/ANALESPS.355631 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDIGITUM editor

Otras publicaciones en: Anales de psicología

Objetivos de desarrollo sostenible

Resumen

The main aim of this study was to find out more about the role of great-grandparenthood. A group of participants with great-grandchildren (n=78) was interviewed using a questionnaire containing questions that had been put through a previous pilot study, covering participants’ sociodemographics, the activities that participants shared with their great-grandchildren, and their view of the role of great-grandparent and their related degree of satisfaction. The data were recorded and analyzed both with frequency tables and descriptive statistics and with the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test. The results showed several significant relationships between the shared activities and the sociodemographic variables, such as great-grandparents’ age (p ≤ .05), education (p ≤ .01), health status (p ≤ .05), the distance at which they live from their great-grandchildren (p ≤ .05). Also, it was found that participants generally consider the role of great-grandparent to be a continuation of their prior role as grandparent, albeit from the perspective of a formal intergenerational typology, distinct from the informal typology and, above all, opposed to the role of substitute/surrogate. Greater perceived satisfaction was associated with this typical interaction of the formal role (p ≤ .01). Great-grandparents may already be fulfilling a notable function in today’s four-generation families.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Bengtson, V. L. (2001). Beyond the nuclear family: The increasing importance of multigenerational bonds. Journal of marriage and family, 63(1), 1-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2001.00001.x
  • Bernedo Muñoz, I. M., & Fuentes Rebollo, M. (2010). Support needs and satisfaction in kinship foster care. Anales de Psicología, 26(1), 95-103. https://revistas.um.es/analesps/article/view/92011
  • Castañeda, P.J., Sánchez, D., Sánchez, A. & Blanc, S. (2004). Cómo perciben los nietos adultos las relaciones con sus abuelos [How adult grandchildren perceive their relationship with grandparents]. Anuario de Psicología, 35, 107-123.
  • Castañeda-García, P.J. & Valle-Sanz, C. & Gutiérrez-Barroso, J. (2017). From Grandparenthood to Great-grandparenthood. Exploring a family role [De la abuelidad a la bisabuelidad. Explorando un rol familiar]. Anuario de Psicología, 47(3), 115-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anpsic.2018.01.003
  • Chan, C. G. & Elder, GH., Jr. (2000). Matrilineal advantage in grandchild-grandparent relations. Gerontologist, 40(2), 179-190. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/40.2.179
  • Connidis, I. A. (2010). Family ties and aging. Pine Forge Press.
  • Doka, K.J. & Mertz, M.E. (1988). The meaning and significance of great-grandparenthood. The Gerontological Society of America, 28, 192-197. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/28.2.192
  • Drew, L. M. & Silverstein, M. (2004). Inter-generational role investments of great-grandparents: consequences for psychological well-being. Ageing and Society, 24(1), 95-111. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X03001533
  • Even-Zohar, A. & Garby, A. (2016). Great-Grandparents’ Role Perception and Its Contribution to Their Quality of Life. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 14(3), 197-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2016.1195246
  • Ferguson, J. L. & Ready, D. D. (2011). Expanding notions of social reproduction: Grandparent´s educational attainment and grandchildren´s cognitive skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26(2), 216-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2010.10.001
  • Findler, L., Taubman–Ben-Ari, O., Nuttman-Shwartz, O. & Lazar, R. (2013). Construction and validation of the multidimensional experience of grandparenthood set of inventories. Social Work Research, 37(3), 237-253. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/swr/svt025
  • García, C. N. & Vega, C. V. (2013). Relaciones abuelos-nietos: una aproximación al rol del abuelo [Grandparents-grandchildren relationship: An approach to the role of grandparenthood]. Sociedad y Utopía. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 41, 464-482.
  • Hagestad, G.O. (1985). Continuity and connectedness. In V. L. Bengtson & J. F. Robertson (Eds.), Grandparenthood (pp. 31-48). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
  • Hällsten, M. & Pfeffer, F. (2017). Grand advantage: Family wealth and grandchildren´s educational achievement in Sweden. American Sociological Review, 82(2), 328-360. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122417695791
  • Maklakov, A.A. & Lummaa, V. (2013). Evolution of sex differences in lifespan and aging: Causes and Constraints, Bioessays, 35, 717-724. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.201300021
  • Marečková, M. (2014). Family ties and intergenerational relationships in European families in the twentieth century. Wychowanie w Rodzinie, 9(1), 15-21.
  • Mietkiewicz, M. C. & Venditti, L. (2004). Great-grandfathers. From their great-grandchildren’s point of view. Psychologie & neuropsychiatrie du vieillissement, 2(4), 275-283.
  • Mollegaard, S. & Jaeger, M.M. (2015). The effect of grandparents’ economic, cultural, and social capital on grandchildren's educational success. Research in Social Stratification Mobility, 42, 11-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2015.06.004
  • Regidor, E., Gutiérrez-Fisac, J. L. & Alfaro, M. (2009). Indicadores de salud 2009. Evolución de los indicadores del estado de salud en España y su magnitud en el contexto de la Unión Europea [Health indicators 2009. Evolution of the indicators of health status in Spain and its magnitude in the context of the European Union]. Madrid: Ministerio de Sanidad y Política Social, 128.
  • Roberto, K. A. & Skoglund, R. R. (1996). Interactions with grandparents and great-grandparents: A comparison of activities, influences, and relationships. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 43(2), 107-117. http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/8F1D-9A4D-H0QY-W9DD
  • Russell, G. (1986). Grandfathers: Making up for lost opportunities. In R. A. Lewis and R. E. Salt (Eds.), Men in families (pp. 233-259).
  • Strom, R., Collinsworth, P., Strom, S. & Griswold, D. (1993). Strengths and needs of Black grandparents. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 36(4), 255-268. https://dx.doi.org/10.2190/LXR8-DPM4-0J29-UVE3
  • Thomese, F., Silverstein, M. & Uhlenberg, P. (2008). Exchange between grandparents and grandchildren: Cross-fertilization of evolutionary and social science perspectives. The Gerontologist, 48, 714.
  • Triadó, C. Martínez, G. & Villar, F. (2000). El rol y la importancia de los abuelos para sus nietos adolescentes [The role and importance of grandparents for their teenage grandchildren]. Anuario de Psicología, 31(2), 107-118.
  • Troll, L. E., Miller, S. J. & Atchley, R. C. (1979). Families in later life. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Publishing Company.