Paternal grandmothers benefit the most from expressing affection to grandchildren: An extension of evolutionary and sociological research

Bernhold, Quinten S.; Giles, Howard

doi:10.1177/0265407517734657

Cited by 24 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Based on the sociological foundations of the GRDH, due to the patrilineal tradition of Chinese culture, paternal grandmothers also have incentives to invest in grandchildren to assure better inheritance. Yet, paternal grandmothers usually conveyed this investment by placing great expectations on the grandchildren (Chinese proverb “Wang Sun Cheng Long”; Kong & Wang, 2013; Ng et al, 2014) while restraining the closeness of their relationship, thus the effect of the paternal grandmothers' perception of the coparenting relationship on the children's adjustment was weaker (Bernhold & Giles, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coparenting relationship, parenting self‐efficacy, and child adjustment in Chinese mother–grandmother coparenting families: Grandmother role difference

Jiang

et al. 2023

Family Relations

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ObjectiveThe study tested the grandmother role difference hypothesis (GRDH) in Chinese three‐generation families by investigating the effects of mothers' and grandmothers' perceptions of the coparenting relationship on child adjustment and the potential mediating effect of parenting self‐efficacy.BackgroundMother–grandmother coparenting has become the prevalent parenting mode in urban China, yet previous studies have failed to recognize the differences between the grandmothers by lineage. By reviewing biological theories and sociological contexts, this study proposed the GRDH. The hypothesis posited that in addition to maternal grandmother's benefits on grandchildren over paternal grandmother due to biological drives, maternal and paternal grandmothers exert their effect on child outcomes disparately by developing different relationships with the mother in coparenting.MethodIn total, 409 mother–grandmother coparenting families were recruited. Two identical structural equation models were examined separately for maternal and paternal grandmother groups.ResultsThe results of multigroup analysis showed a stronger direct effect by maternal grandmother's perception of coparenting relationship than paternal grandmother on child social competence. The relation between maternal parenting self‐efficacy and child social competence was stronger in households with paternal grandmothers. Furthermore, the mothers' evaluation of the coparenting relationship had a significant spillover effect on the paternal grandmother's parenting self‐efficacy only. The findings also showed the exclusive mediating effect of maternal parenting self‐efficacy linking the mother's perception of the coparenting relationship to child problem behavior in the mother–paternal grandmother group only.Conclusion and implicationsThe results overall validated the GRDH while providing further contextual information on the roles of mothers and grandmothers in different types of coparenting families.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coparenting relationship, parenting self‐efficacy, and child adjustment in Chinese mother–grandmother coparenting families: Grandmother role difference

Jiang

et al. 2023

Family Relations

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“…Affectionate communication, related to the affection exchange theory (AET, Floyd 2001) is conceptualized as the expression of fondness and positive regard directed at another person (Floyd 2001;Floyd and Morman 1998). When received from grandparents, affectionate communication is associated with communicational and relational satisfaction in the grandparent-grandchild relationship (Bernhold and Giles 2019;Mansson 2013b;Mansson and Booth-Butterfield 2011). In the present study, affectionate communication received by grandchildren is measured through the Grandchildren's Received Affection Scale (Mansson 2013b).…”

Section: Validity and Reliabilitymentioning

confidence: 95%

The Ideal Grandparent Scale: Validation in a French Young Adults Population

et al. 2020

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We investigated the representation grandchildren have of the ideal features associated with the role of grandparents by validating a French version of the Ideal Grandparent Scale (IGS). Two studies were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the IGS. A sample of 285 young adults (18-25 years old), randomly divided in two subsamples, completed the French Translation of IGS as well as four complementary scales (Grandchildren's Received Affection Scale, Parental Encouragement Scale, Shared Family Identity Scale, and the CES-D). We tested the factorial, construct and convergent validities as well as the reliability of the IGS. Results coincided with Mansson's and confirmed the good psychometric qualities of the scale. Getting a better understanding of the qualities associated with the role of grandparents by French grandchildren may provide an overview of the importance of the intergenerational bond.

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“…For instance, research supports the idea that withholding affection from a young adult can have negative health effects such as stress and mental health issues (i.e., depression) [ 10 , 11 ], but some evidence suggests that received grandparent affection is not significantly inversely related with grandchildren’s health outcomes (i.e., stress) [ 12 ]. However, evidence suggests that when grandmother communicate affectionately to their grandchildren, the expressed affection strengthens the grandmother-grandchild relationship and it enhances grandmothers’ general well-being [ 13 ]. However, while researchers have investigated grandchildren’s perspectives on their relationship with their grandmother, the construct of grandmother received affection has been understudied in relation to grandchildren’s health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Affection exchange theory (AET) has served as an important theory in understanding grandparent-grandchild relationships. For instance, grandparents can communicate affection to enact the liking process of their grandchildren, which can in turn, increase the likelihood that grandchildren will reciprocate the affectionate behavior to nurture a bond in the grandparent-grandchild (GP-GC) relationship [ 41 , 7 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of received grandmothers’ affection on adult grandchildren’s health behaviors using affection exchange theory

2022

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Background Affection exchange theory (AET) explains the value of received affection for overall wellbeing in family relationships. However, this study extends prior work by investigating AET in grandmother-grandchild relationships and grandchildren’s individual well-being. This study seeks to understand the relationships between adult grandchildren’s received grandmother affection and health-related behaviors such as diet, exercise, substance abuse, and sleep. Methods This cross-sectional study included 229 university student participants. Multiple regression analyses were performed to analyze received grandmother affection and grandchildren’s health behaviors. Results Using cross-sectional survey methods, it was found that grandchildren’s reports of received memories and humor, and celebratory affection influenced grandchildren’s dietary behaviors. Received love and esteem, memories and humor, and celebratory affection was also associated with grandchildren’s exercise behaviors. Conclusions Grandchildren who receive grandmother affection may be likely to engage in the well-being process by engaging in health behaviors, while those who are not receiving affection might suffer the health consequences in adulthood. These findings support the assumption of affection exchange theory that received family affection, in this case, grandmother affection leads to positive health outcomes such as enhanced dietary and exercise behaviors among grandchildren.

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Paternal grandmothers benefit the most from expressing affection to grandchildren: An extension of evolutionary and sociological research

Cited by 24 publications

References 58 publications

Coparenting relationship, parenting self‐efficacy, and child adjustment in Chinese mother–grandmother coparenting families: Grandmother role difference

Coparenting relationship, parenting self‐efficacy, and child adjustment in Chinese mother–grandmother coparenting families: Grandmother role difference

The Ideal Grandparent Scale: Validation in a French Young Adults Population

The effects of received grandmothers’ affection on adult grandchildren’s health behaviors using affection exchange theory

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