The first national survey about the relationships that adolescents
have with their grandparents shows that grandparents who are involved
in the upbringing of their grandchildren can contribute to a child’s
well-being.


This research led by Oxford University, in collaboration with the
Institute of Education, London, challenges previous research showing
that grandparents who are heavily committed to looking after their
grandchildren could become depressed and have a negative effect on the
children.

The research surveyed questionnaires from 1,596 children, aged between
11-16 from across England and Wales, and researchers conducted in-
depth interviews with 40 children from a range of backgrounds. Another
key finding of the research was that almost a third of maternal
grandmothers provided regular care-taking for their grandchildren,
with 40 per cent providing occasional help with childcare.

The survey reveals that grandparents often have more time than working
parents to support young people in activities and are well placed to
talk to their grandchildren about any problems the young people may be
experiencing. They were also found to be involved in helping to solve
the young people’s problems, as well as talking with them about plans
for their future.

Principle investigator Professor Ann Buchanan, Director of the Centre
for Research into Parenting and Children in the Department of Social
Policy and Social Work at Oxford University, will launch the research
findings at the annual meeting of the Grandparents’ Association in
London on Wednesday 4 June.

Professor Buchanan said: ‘We were surprised by the huge amount of
informal caring that the grandparents were doing and how in some cases
they were filling the parenting gap for hard working parents. Most
adolescents really welcomed this relationship. What was especially
interesting was the links we found between ‘involved grandparents’ and
adolescent well-being. Closeness was not enough: only grandparents who
got stuck in and did things with their grandchildren had this positive
impact on their grandchildren.’

Co-investigator Dr Eirini Flouri, from the Institute of Education,
said: ‘We found that close relationships between grandparents and
grandchildren buffered the effects of adverse life events, such as
parental separation, because it calmed the children down. This
suggests future investigations should pay more attention to the role
of grandparents in developing resilience in young people.’

A range of factors predicted the involvement of the grandparents in
the upbringing of their grandchildren including: living in a less
deprived area; frequent contact; and the good health of the
grandparent. The young people surveyed did not view physical proximity
as being necessarily important as they used modern technology to
communicate. They said they felt grandparents became closer when they
undertook some traditional parenting tasks.

This study also shows that at times of family breakdown and
separation, many grandparents played an important role in bringing
stability to their grandchildren. Grandparents were also found to be
important in times of family adversity and appeared to help the whole
family buffer the difficulties. The researchers conclude that given
the grandparents’ role is almost invisible in family policy in the UK,
the government needs to rethink the policy implications of this
largely positive role and provide more support for the important
intergenerational relationships.

Source: Oxford University
http://www.physorg.com/news131778202.html