For kids, grandparents provide stability, safety, wisdom and fun. In return, caring for grandchildren can help stave off depression, boost social connections and keep older adults mentally sharp. Research shows proven health benefits — along with some challenges — from this important family relationship.
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Emotional closeness between adult grandchildren and their grandparents protects against depression for both, according to a June 2016 study from Boston University. The study, which used data from a long-term survey of families spanning several generations between 1985 and 2004, suggests that when young adults and their elders enjoy strong relationships, both suffer fewer symptoms of depression.
Spending quality time with grandchildren while they’re children improves mental health, too, according to a 2014 study from the Journal of the American Gerontological Society. It linked having more bonding moments to lower risk of depression among grandparents.
As for kids, grandparents are great at calming them when they’re ailing and teaching and playing with them when they’re well, says Susan Newman, a social psychologist and author of “Little Things Mean a Lot: Creating Happy Memories with Your Grandchildren.”
“Grandparents are a security blanket,” Newman says. “If there’s somebody they trust and know is always on their side, that’s a huge emotional plus for the child. They have somebody around who’s comforting; who hugs them and sits with them and reads with them.” Unlike most parents, she says, grandparents have “infinite patience” — and often, more time to spare.
Sharing interests such as sports, baking or flying kites brings happiness to both generations, Newman says. “If kids are having fun, you’re going to feel good as a grandparent.”
Watching grandchildren on a weekly basis may also boost grandparents’ brain function. A study published in 2014 in the Journal of Marriage and the Family analyzed data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. According to the study, providing child care had a positive effect on verbal fluency, although not on other cognitive tests such as short- and long-term memory.
[See: 13 Ways to Improve Your Memory.]
Another study, published in the Journal of the North American Menopause Society, found the highest cognitive scores among older women who spent one day weekly babysitting their grandchildren. However, a heavier schedule of babysitting five days or more each week was tied to reduced thought-processing speed and working-memory ability.
Providing at least some support in caring for grandchildren might lead to a longer life, suggests a December 2016 study in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. Among more than 500 elderly European grandparents between the ages of 70 and 103, those who did not provide at least some occasional care for their grandchildren were less likely to be alive five years after the study began.
There was good news for non-grandparents, too: Childless older adults who gave emotional support to others in their lives survived several years longer than those who didn’t reach out.
Grandparents who raise grandchildren may quite literally be lifesavers. Supporting this ever-growing group is a focus for social gerontologist Luci Bearon, an associate professor and extension specialist in adult development and aging at North Carolina State University-Raleigh.
Nearly 2.7 million U.S. grandparents are householders responsible for grandchildren who live with them, according to the latest available figures from AARP’s GrandFacts. The majority are under 60 and part of the workforce. About one-fifth live in poverty and one-quarter have a disability. Slightly less than one-third are unmarried, solo grandparents.
Grandparents like these often say they had to step in to keep their grandchildren safe, provide emotional support and create a calmer environment, Bearon says.
“Many of the biological parents have problems with substance abuse, mental or physical health constraints, troubled relationships with the other biological parent or have abused or neglected the child,” Bearon explains. Divorce complications leave some children falling through the cracks. In other cases, parents in the military are deployed for extended periods or a parent dies and the grandparent is the closest kin available.
Stress and strain can affect grandparents thrust into parenting roles. A study published in 2015 in the journal Rural and Remote Health looked at low-income African-American women in the South who are primary caregivers for their grandchildren.
Many of these grandmothers coped with chronic pain that disrupted sleep and daily function, mobility issues made worse by child care and added pressures of managing children’s medical conditions as well as their own. In some cases, financial problems caused grandparents to skip their own medical appointments or forego prescriptions they couldn’t afford.
Another study, presented in 2016 at the Gerontological Society of America annual conference in New Orleans, found that taking on a long-term parental role, particularly as a solo grandparent, exacted an additional emotional and physical toll.
Grandparents were more likely to have health conditions like arthritis, for instance, when compared to single, but younger, parents. Both groups had higher levels of depression than peers with support from a spouse or significant other. A large number of solo grandparents smoked and didn’t have time to exercise.
Many grandparents were already coping with chronic conditions before they took on their new role, says M.E. Hughes, an associate scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her group’s 2007 study looked at nearly 13,000 grandparents, ages 50 through 80, providing various types of grandchild care. Many lived in the household with grandchildren and gave complete custodial care. Some helped out in “babysitting” arrangements, providing significant daily support.
During a two-year period, declining health due to grandchild care was the exception rather than the rule, the study found. Grandmothers who were babysitting showed modest increases in how they rated their own health, Hughes says.
Some grandparents may need child-safety updates or refresher courses. In a May 2017 study of more than 600 grandparents raising their grandchildren, a significant number had mistaken beliefs about child health and safety. Many responded incorrectly to survey items such as one about using ice baths to bring down a fever (which is not recommended) or the right position to place sleeping infants (on their backs).
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Grandparents of all ages responsible for raising grandchildren can benefit from local services and support groups, Bearon says. Besides learning from speakers and other professionals, support groups allow solo grandparents who might feel isolated to feel connected instead. Making friends and finding common bonds help lighten the load and reaffirm their sense of purpose, she concludes: “In my experience, most people would be inclined to say, ‘It’s been tough, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world — I really love these kids.'”
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The Health Benefits of Having (and Being) Grandparents originally appeared on usnews.com
