Intergenerational Solidarity With Grandparents in Emerging Adulthood: Associations With Providing Support to Older Parents in Established Adulthood

Abstract

We examined the link between types of intergenerational solidarity with grandparents among young adults in emerging adulthood and whether they provided instrumental and emotional support to their older parents in established adulthood. We used the 2000 and 2016 waves of the longitudinal study of generations and a sample of 229 grandmother–child and 175 grandfather–child dyads. Latent class analysis identified three classes describing intergenerational solidarity with grandparents ( tight-knit, detached, and intimate-but-geographically distant) in grandmother–child and grandfather–child dyads in emerging adulthood. Path analyses showed that young adults who had a tight-knit relationship with their grandparents in emerging adulthood provided more instrumental and emotional support to their parents in established adulthood, compared with those who had a detached relationship with their grandparents in emerging adulthood. Results are interpreted in contexts of multigenerational interdependence within families and the sensitivity of young adults to the needs of older parents through their earlier connection to grandparents.

The influence of dual filial piety consciousness on mental health in Chinese youths is moderated by mobility and mediated by bidirectional intergenerational support

“…On the other, based on social exchange theory, high FP consciousness increases the reciprocal exchanges between parents and children. To maintain the stability and frequency of such exchanges, parents tend to provide more downward support and transfer time and money to children to strengthen intergenerational attachment [47]. Given that high dual FP consciousness improves DIS, support from parents is conducive to the cultivation of young people's positive psychological state [48].…”

Gender Inequality in Intergenerational Contact After Parental Separation in the Digital Era

“…The nature of intergenerational contact has changed in recent years, as digital communications, via video calls, instant messaging apps and social media, have increased in popularity (Arpino et al, 2021;Hwang et al, 2023). Digital contact is a less-intrusive form of interaction, through which separated parents can remain involved in children's lives with fewer investments of time and energy (Peng, et al 2018;Tammisalo et al 2024).…”

Understanding and Serving All Families: Introduction to the Special Issue on Supporting Structurally Diverse Families

“…They also identify the rarity of formal support services being accessed by extended family caregivers due to a lack of availability or awareness. Hwang and colleagues (2022) use the Longitudinal Study of Generations to provide an exploration of the contributions of grandchildren’s intergenerational relationships with grandparents as caregivers and providers of support to middle-generation parents. Both articles examine caregivers for older adults that are frequently missing from empirical investigations of family caregivers (which more often examine spouses or adult children) and point to ways caregiving research might be widened in future work (Brewster et al, 2020).…”