Communication Media Use in the Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship

Abstract

This study surveyed college-aged grandchildren as to the frequency of their communication with a grandparent using various media. Face-to-face (FtF) and telephone communication were used more frequently than written media, but all were used fairly frequently. Communication using all media was more frequent when the grandparent or grandchild initiated interaction as opposed to the parent. Relationships in which the grandparent initiated contact featured more use of written media (letters, e-mail, cards). Frequency of communication using all media was positively associated with relational quality. Telephone communication best predicted relational quality when use of other media was controlled. In this paper, I discuss implications for media richness theory, the communication predicament of aging model, and future research on grandparent-grandchild relationships.This paper examines the grandparent-grandchild (GP-GC) relationship in the context of a growing literature concerning communication between older and younger adults that has enlightened us as to the processes and problems of such communication. The work of Hummert and her colleagues has provided new insights on the nature of intergenerational stereotypes and their role in influencing communication in intergenerational settings featuring elderly people ) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. He is interested in the role of interpersonal and mass communication in life-span development. His recent work has been published in Communication Monographs, the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. The author expresses his thanks to two anonymous reviewers for their comments on this paper.

Connecting generations: developing co-design methods for older adults and children

“…However, focusing on indirect interactions between grandparents and grandchildren may not be the most effective way to promote the grandparent-grandchild relationship. Research suggests that intergenerational communication can be more frequent when initiated by a grandparent or grandchild as opposed to a parent [20].…”

Grandparents' Expressions of Affection for Their Grandchildren: Examining Grandchildren's Relational Attitudes and Behaviors

“…Additionally, many GP-GC interactions consist of phone conversations (Harwood, 2000a) during which expressions of affection that may be perceived as sexual in nature (e.g., kissing on the lips, massages, winking) are not possible due to physical separation. A closer examine of the Affectionate Communication Index item means indicates that items that may be perceived as sexual in nature had mean scores well below the median (i.e., 4.0 on a 7-point scale; kissing on lips, M ¼ 1.60; giving massages, M ¼ 1.83; and winking, M ¼ 2.36).…”

“…Moreover, geographical distance between grandparents and grandchildren does not appear to affect relationship interactions (Holladay & Seipke, 2007). In fact, GP-GC interactions have shifted from traditional face-to-face interactions (Hodgson, 1992) to primarily phone conversations (Harwood, 2000a) and e-mails (Holladay & Seipke, 2007). However, grandchildren who interact face-to-face with their grandparents report greater relationship quality than grandchildren who engage in mediated (e.g., phone, Internet) communication with their grandparents (Bunz & Carlton, 2007).…”

Relational, role, and social identity as expressed in grandparents’ personal web sites

“…Even when grandparents loved and took pride in their grandchildren, they were disappointed by infrequent contact and opportunities for close interaction. Harwood (2000) found that a substantial amount of GP-GC communication occurs through channels other than face-to-face and telephone communication-presumably some of this was occurring through the Internet. Recent work has suggested that computer-mediated communication may be growing in importance and frequency for older adults (Seniomet, 1998;Wright, 2000).…”