Intergenerational coparenting and child development outcomes: A systematic review

Abstract

Grandparents often serve important childrearing roles. The present study is a systematic review of research that examined the association between intergenerational coparenting and children's development. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines, 220 records were identified, and 16 studies were included in the final review. The review provided a detailed analysis of the methodological characteristics of research in this area. Findings indicated that better intergenerational coparenting was associated with higher levels of children's social competence, executive functioning, and attachment security. Evidence also suggests parenting mediates the relation between intergenerational coparenting and child development. Several directions for future research emerged from the review including the need (a) for measurement strategies that reflect the multidimensional nature of intergenerational coparenting, (b) to consider the various parent‐grandparent dyads, and (c) to incorporate other family factors and processes (e.g., quality of parent‐grandparent relationships) into studies that focus on intergenerational coparenting.