Elsevier

Maturitas

Volume 80, Issue 2, February 2015, Pages 122-125
Maturitas

Provenance and peer review
Is grandparenting a form of social engagement that benefits cognition in ageing?

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.10.017Get rights and content

Highlights

  • •

    Grandparents are an increasingly popular form of childcare globally.

  • •

    Grandparenting provides a form of daily activity that can stimulate cognitive mechanisms and optimise cognitive ageing.

  • •

    Highly frequent grandparenting has been associated with lower cognitive abilities, which may be due to the demands of the role.

  • •

    Many support services available to grandparents are aimed at those who are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren; supplementary caregivers are generally ineligible.

Abstract

Social engagement is a lifestyle factor that has received much attention in preventative research. Numerous studies in the current literature have argued the importance of social engagement in ageing, particularly for cognitive health. One key example of social engagement in later life is the role of a grandparent. This role promotes a socially active lifestyle that may be beneficial to cognitive ageing. Recent research has found that spending some time with grandchildren is beneficial; however, the pressures and responsibilities characteristic of this role should also be taken into consideration, as they may have opposing effects on cognitive health. Given the current popularity of grandparenting as a form of childcare, the interests of the grandparents and the impact on ageing health need to be carefully considered.

Introduction

With the growing length of shared lifespan across multiple familial generations and an increasing number of parents in full-time employment, grandparents are now vital providers of childcare for parents in the Western world. In Australia, parents’ work commitments are the most commonly reported reason for childcare needs [1]. However, with the rising costs of childcare and few places available, most parents opt for an informal childcare arrangement, such as grandparental care [1]. Similarly in Europe, the use of formal childcare is inversely proportional to the number of children being cared for by a grandparent [2]. According to census data in the U.S., nearly 40% of the population over 30 years of age report that they are responsible for their grandchildren's care [3]. Parents in Britain have reported heavy use of informal childcare rather than market-based childcare, with most relying on grandparents [4]. Across Europe, approximately half of grandparents have cared for their grandchildren in the past 12 months [2].

With such an overwhelming reliance on grandparents as childcare providers in the Western world, it is no surprise that research is now turning to grandparenting as a key factor in ageing health. Studies investigating grandparenting and cognitive health in particular have recently emerged in the literature. Their findings have highlighted the positive and negative attributes of the role which have unique impact on ageing cognition. This paper brings together recent findings examining the impact of grandparenting on cognition and highlights areas for further research.

Section snippets

Activity maintains cognition in ageing

One of the key theories for the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia in ageing is the disuse hypothesis, which states that decreases in activity with age leading to the disuse of cognitive mechanisms can accelerate age-related decreases in cognition [5], [6]. Sustaining an active lifestyle, and consequently using cognitive mechanisms, protects against cognitive decline and dementia [7], [8], [9], [10]. Social engagement may be viewed from this perspective as a form of everyday activity

Discussion

Grandparenting is a complex social role that has growing importance in Western society. While available research has illustrated a positive influence of grandparenting on cognitive health, the evidence also suggests that grandparenting to the extent that it becomes demanding may counteract the benefits. Balance needs to be achieved in order to achieve optimal outcomes.

Some questions remain in understanding the relationship between grandparenting and cognition. The studies reviewed provide a

Conclusion

Recent contributions to the literature indicate that grandparenting is a complex social role which can have both positive and negative effects on health. Although grandparenting encourages activity and provides a unique sense of fulfilment that enhances many aspects of ageing health, it also involves a number of stressors that are intrinsic to carer roles which can negatively impact mental and cognitive health as well as exacerbate physical conditions. Given the current popularity of

Disclosures

Dr. Szoeke has provided clinical consultancy and been on scientific advisory committees for the Australian CSIRO, Alzheimer's Australia, University of Melbourne and other relationships which are subject to confidentiality clauses. She has been a named Chief Investigator on investigator driven collaborative research projects in partnership with Pfizer, Merck, Piramal, Bayer and GE. Her research program has received support from NHMRC, Alzheimer's Association, Collier Trust, Scobie and Claire

Contributors

Ms. Katherine Burn is the primary author of the paper. She was responsible for the design of the concept and the writing and editing of the article.

Dr. Cassandra Szoeke contributed to the formulation of the concept and to the editing of the paper.

Competing interests

None

Acknowledgements

This research is funded by Alzheimer's Australia, Australian Menopausal Society, Brain Foundation, Alzheimer's Association, Shepherd Foundation, the Scobie and Claire McKinnon Foundation, the Collier Trust Fund, the Ramaciotti Foundation, Pharmaceuticals, the J.O. & J.R. Wicking Trust, Piramal Life Sciences, Mason Foundation and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

References (60)

  • T.A. Salthouse

    Theoretical perspectives on cognitive aging

    (1991)
  • L.J. Tranter et al.

    Age and flexible thinking: an experimental demonstration of the beneficial effects of increased cognitively stimulating activity on fluid intelligence in healthy older adults

    Aging, Neuropsychol, Cognit

    (2008)
  • D.F. Hultsch et al.

    Use it or lose it: engaged lifestyle as a buffer of cognitive decline in aging?

    Psychol Aging

    (1999)
  • N. Scarmeas et al.

    Influence of leisure activity on the incidence of Alzheimer's disease

    Neurology

    (2001)
  • R.E. Holtzman et al.

    Social network characteristics and cognition in middle-aged and older adults

    J Gerontol B-Psychol Sci Soc Sci

    (2004)
  • K.R. Krueger et al.

    Social engagement and cognitive function in old age

    Exp Aging Res

    (2009)
  • T.E. Seeman et al.

    Social environment characteristics and patterns of cognitive aging: MacArthur studies of successful aging

    Health Psychol

    (2001)
  • S-C.J. Yeh et al.

    Influence of social support on cognitive function in the elderly

    BMC Health Serv Res

    (2003)
  • M-V. Zunzunegui et al.

    Social networks, social integration, and social engagement determine cognitive decline in community-dwelling Spanish older adults

    J Gerontol B-Psychol Sci Soc Sci

    (2003)
  • S. Ramlagan et al.

    Social capital and health among older adults in South Africa

    BMC Geriatr

    (2013)
  • T.F. Hughes et al.

    Engagement in social activities and progression from mild to severe cognitive impairment: the MYHAT study

    Int Psychogeriatr

    (2013)
  • R.E. Marioni et al.

    Active cognitive lifestyle is associated with positive cognitive health transitions and compression of morbidity from age sixty-five

    PLoS One

    (2012)
  • P.A. Thomas

    Trajectories of social engagement and limitations in late life

    J Health Soc Behav

    (2011)
  • S.S. Bassuk et al.

    Social disengagement and incident cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly persons

    Ann Intern Med

    (1999)
  • V.C. Crooks et al.

    Social network, cognitive function, and dementia incidence among elderly women

    Am J Public Health

    (2008)
  • J.S. Saczynski et al.

    The effect of social engagement on incident dementia The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study

    Am J Epidemiol

    (2006)
  • K.W. Schaie

    Midlife influences upon intellectual functioning in old age

    Int J Behav Dev

    (1984)
  • H.X. Wang et al.

    Late-life engagement in social and leisure activities is associated with a decreased risk of dementia: a longitudinal study from the Kungsholmen project

    Am J Epidemiol

    (2002)
  • D.E. Sörman et al.

    Leisure activity in old age and risk of dementia: a 15-year prospective study

    J Gerontol B-Psychol Sci Soc Sci

    (2013)
  • K.J. Anstey et al.

    Development of a new method for assessing global risk of Alzheimer's disease for use in population health approaches to prevention

    Prev Sci

    (2013)

    • Cited by (29)

    • Grandparenting and subjective well-being in China: The moderating effects of residential location, gender, age, and income

      2022, Social Science and Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      Grandparenting also crowds out the discretional time and personal resources that older adults have available for social engagement and self-care. Many studies have indicated that grandparenting can lead to isolation and financial hardship (Baker and Silverstein, 2008; Hongthai and Jongudomkarn, 2021; Muller and Litwin, 2011), which may increase the likelihood of depression in older adults (Blustein et al., 2004; Szinovacz and Davey, 2006), accelerate their self-perceived decline in health (Chen and Liu, 2012; Dong et al., 2014; Komonpaisarn and Loichinger, 2019), and undermine their cognitive function (Arpino and Bordone, 2014; Burn and Szoeke, 2015; Pan et al., 2022). One empirical study suggested that a heavy load of custodial grandparenting was associated with a higher risk of mortality (Jang et al., 2021).

    • What doesn't kill you makes you “smarter”: The long-term association between exposure to epidemic and cognition

      2021, Social Science and Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      In Japan, individuals’ past experiences with natural disasters tended to increase both the number of voluntary associations in which they participate and their degree of involvement (J. Lee and Fraser, 2019; Yamamura, 2016). Numerous studies have also shown that older adults who are more socially engaged experience less cognitive decline and a reduced risk of developing dementia (Burn and Szoeke, 2015; Hilbrand et al., 2017). In particular, several longitudinal studies have shown that frequent face-to-face contact with adult children and taking care of grandchildren are associated with better attention, episodic memory, and mental intactness among middle-aged and older Asian adults (S. H. Lee and Kim, 2016; Pan et al., 2020; Xu, 2021).

    • Providing regular grandchild care: Grandparents’ psychological and physical health

      2021, Geriatric Nursing
      Citation Excerpt :

      Some of these changes include: the necessity of a dual-earner household, working longer hours, and the increase in labor-force participation of grandmothers and their daughters.1,2 One significant effect of these processes has been the increased involvement of grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren, including taking a regular role in caring for those children, in order to help the grandchildren's parents to work and develop their careers.3 Grandparents' regular care refers to grandparents who provide frequent, routine and ongoing childcare for their grandchildren without the presence of the parents.4-6

    • Epidemiology and mental illness in old age

      2020, BJPsych Advances

    • The mediating role of children’s intergenerational support in association between grandparenting and cognitive function among middle-aged and older Chinese: findings from the CHARLS cohort study

      2024, BMC Public Health

    • The impact of grandparenting on mental health among rural middle-aged and older adults in China: exploring the role of children’s support

      2024, Frontiers in Psychiatry
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text
    Copyright © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.