The research, conducted and published by the American Psychological Association, shows that caring for grandchildren can serve as a protective factor against the deterioration of cognitive functions in older adults. Link to the study.
Flavia Chereches, the lead researcher from Tilburg University in the Netherlands, noted that many older adults regularly assist their children by caring for grandchildren, which, in turn, strengthens family ties and positively impacts society as a whole.
“However, the question remains as to how beneficial such care is for the grandparents themselves. We aimed to determine whether participation in caring for grandchildren affects the health of older adults and whether it can slow cognitive decline,” she explained.
In the study, data from 2,887 participants, grandparents who took part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, were analyzed. All participants were over 50 years old, with an average age of 67. They underwent surveys and cognitive tests three times from 2016 to 2022.
The researchers were interested in whether participants had provided care for grandchildren in the past year. Information was also collected on the frequency of this care and various types of activities involved.
Types of Care
Responsibilities included overnight supervision, caring for sick grandchildren, playing together, helping with homework, as well as driving children to school and preparing meals.
After analyzing the test results, it was found that grandparents who cared for grandchildren scored higher on memory and verbal flexibility tests compared to those who did not participate in caregiving. These differences remained significant even when accounting for the age and overall health of the participants. The pattern remained consistent regardless of the frequency of care or its types.
Differences Among Grandmothers
Furthermore, the study showed that grandmothers who actively helped care for grandchildren exhibited less cognitive decline over time compared to those who did not.
“It is surprising that the role of grandparents as caregivers may have a greater impact on cognitive abilities than the frequency of care or specific actions they take with grandchildren,” Chereches added. “Further research is needed to confirm these findings. However, if caring for grandchildren does indeed provide benefits, this benefit may depend not on the frequency of help or specific actions, but on the very experience of being involved in caring for grandchildren.”
The Importance of Family Context
Chereches also emphasized the need for further exploration of how family relationships and other factors may influence the outcomes of this study. The conditions under which care is provided can have a significant impact.
“Care provided voluntarily in a supportive family atmosphere may have a different effect on grandparents than care in a stressful environment, where they may feel unsupported or perceive caregiving as an obligation,” she concluded.
