Grandparenting Activities and Mental Health in Northern Sri Lanka

The impact of grandparenting on mental health among rural middle-aged and older adults in China: exploring the role of children’s support

“…For example, Yang ( 40 ) conducted a comparative study in the UK, another European country, and China, and found that grandparenting in low-income countries could mitigate depressive symptoms, unlike in high-income countries. This finding is corroborated by another study in Sri Lanka, which confirms a positive correlation between grandparenting and reduced distress ( 41 ).…”

Generativity and Engagement in Grandparenting Activities Among Older Adults in Northern Sri Lanka

“…We devised a grandparent-grandchild activity scale to measure various instrumental and socioemotional activities that grandparents may engage in with their grandchildren. Drawing on previous literature on different activity categories, which were then adapted to fit the local context, we generated a scale that consisted of 10 activity categories (Dunifon et al, 2018;Hale et al, 2021). The activities included in the scale were (1) eating meals together, (2) reading with/to their grandchildren, (3) playing games, (4) telling stories, (5) singing, (6) helping with schoolwork tasks or giving advice/passing on knowledge, (7) holding/soothing (or providing emotional support, depending on the age of the grandchild), (8) general "watching" grandchildren, (9) dropping off/picking up from school or other activities, and The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 97(2) (10) "not much," which could include passive activities such as watching TV together.…”

“…Importantly, older adults are more likely to rely on existing familial relationships for social engagement, including investing in existing bonds with children and grandchildren rather than developing new relationships (Carstensen et al, 2003). Grandparent–grandchild relationships in particular may facilitate intergenerational learning, promote healthy behaviors, and reduce social isolation among older adults (Hale et al, 2021; Strom & Strom, 2011).…”

“…Most existing research on this topic has focused on how generative beliefs may affect grandparent well-being and/or role satisfaction, rather than focusing on specific behavioral manifestations of generative beliefs that grandparents may take part in with their grandchildren. However, holding generative beliefs may be an important factor in the relationship between grandparenting and its effects on the well-being of older adults (Cheng, 2009; Hale et al, 2021; Ying et al, 2020). To date, there is only one study that examined the relationship between generative beliefs and specific grandparenting behaviors (Moore & Rosenthal, 2015).…”