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Grandparents improve children's behavior
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Recent studies have shown that caring for one's own grandparents helps improve the psychological state of the younger generation, and also has a positive effect on behavior and mutual understanding with parents. Such results were obtained by researchers from the Family Support Center at the University of Queensland in Australia.
Usually, the efforts of specialists are aimed at studying the interaction between parents and children in order to determine what factors influence the child's behavior and how to adjust the relationship in the family. In their new study, specialists decided to involve the older generation - grandparents - in the upbringing process, to see how exactly caring for a close elderly person will affect the psychological state of the child.
Seven groups took part in the program, which lasted for nine weeks. The researchers set themselves and, naturally, the program a goal of improving relationships between grandchildren and grandparents. As a result of the program, specialists assumed that the relationships between children and parents would also improve significantly. During the research project, scientists expected that children would become calmer, and that emotions such as anger and anxiety would disappear.
For the new study, the researchers recruited 54 volunteers who had grandchildren aged two to nine years. Of the total number of program participants, 28 were randomly selected and were required to be cared for by their grandchildren for at least twelve hours a week. The remaining volunteers and their family members were assigned to a control group, where the behavior and relationships between family members were not expected to change significantly during the program. Periodically during the study period, grandparents and parents filled out special questionnaires about their children’s behavior, where they were required to note any changes that had occurred.
After the end of the established study period, the specialists, having analyzed all the questionnaires of the project participants, concluded that the children whose grandparents became participants of the program and spent more time with their grandchildren, began to behave noticeably better, their mutual understanding between parents improved, they became less susceptible to stress and negative emotions. The behavior of children from the control group did not change significantly or became noticeably worse.
Participants in the program also reported that their trusting relationships with their grandchildren and their own children had reached a new level, communication had become closer and more pleasant for all parties, and the elderly also noted a decrease in depressive states, anxiety, stress, etc.
Experts believe that underestimating the contribution of grandparents to the development and upbringing of the younger generation is a mistake. Close and trusting relationships between grandchildren and their grandparents can have a positive effect not only on the child's behavior, but also on his or her psychological state. In addition, communication with grandchildren improves the condition of the elderly themselves.
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