Spending Time with Grandparent Produces Better
Behavior in Older Children, Teenagers
Adolescents in single-parent households and
stepfamilies benefit most from time with grandparents
Feb. 23, 2009 - Spending time with a grandparent is
linked with better social skills and fewer behavior problems among
adolescents. This is especially true for those living in single-parent
or stepfamily households, according to a new study.
This study, appearing in the February Journal of
Family Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association,
found that children and adolescents whose parents have separated or
divorced see their grandparents as confidants and sources of comfort.
"Grandparents are a positive force for all families
but play a significant role in families undergoing difficulties," said
lead author Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz, PhD, of The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem.
"They can reduce the negative influence of parents
separating and be a resource for children who are going through these
family changes."
The researchers asked 1,515 English and Welsh 11-
to 16-year olds from 1,010 schools who lived with two biological parents
(66.3 percent), a single parent (18 percent) or within stepfamilies
(15.7 percent) how much involvement they had with their closest
grandparents to see if this relationship made a difference in the
children's emotional and behavioral adjustment.
Students reported that the more they talked to a
grandparent about social and school activities, got advice or felt they
could ask for money, the less hyperactive and disruptive they were, said
Attar-Schwartz. They were also more likely to get along with their
peers.
"This was found across all three family
structures," she said. "But adolescents in single-parent households and
stepfamilies benefited the most. The effect of their grandparents'
involvement was stronger compared to children from two biological parent
families."
As with previous studies, this research found that
grandchildren are closer to their maternal grandparents and, within that
dyad, closer to their grandmothers. .
Supportive relationships with other family members
outside the immediate family may lead to better adjustment for children
and adolescents, said the authors, who found this is especially true for
children growing up in single-parent and stepfamily homes.
Those living solely with their grandparents were
excluded from this study as the authors were only interested in
adolescents from other family types.
These findings can be generalized to the U.S.
population, the authors said.
"It is likely that those adolescents in the United
States who have regular contact with their grandparents also reap the
same benefits," said Attar-Schwartz.
U.S. households are showing a steady rise in
grandparents living with their grandchildren, possibly more now due to
the economic downturn. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American
Community Survey (2004), more than 5 million households reported having
a grandparent living with grandchildren under 18. This is a 30 percent
increase from the 1990 census.
Of those grandparents living with their
grandchildren in 2004, about 2.4 million were primarily responsible for
the grandchildren.
Information Source:
Article: "Grandparenting and Adolescent Adjustment
in Two-Parent Biological, Lone-Parent, and Step-Families," Shalhevet
Attar-Schwartz, PhD, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jo-Pei Tan,
PhD, University of Putra; Ann Buchanan, PhD, and Julia Griggs, PhD,
University of Oxford; Eirini Flouri, PhD, University of London; Journal
of Family Psychology, Vol. 23, No. 1.
The American Psychological Association (APA), in
Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization
representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest
association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than
150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students.
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works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means
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Feb. 23, 2009 - Spending time with a grandparent is
linked with better social skills and fewer behavior problems among
adolescents. This is especially true for those living in single-parent
or stepfamily households, according to a new study.