Grandparent-Adult Grandchild Affection and Consensus

Abstract

Euro-American grandparents' ratings of affection for, and consensus with, their adult grandchildren have been found to be significantly greater than the grandchildren's ratings—a phenomenon known as the “intergenerational stake phenomenon.” However, it is unclear whether this cross-generational difference in affection and perceived consensus exists for all gender dyads and for more collectivistic ethnic groups. This study compared levels of affection and consensus for Euro-American and Mexican American grandparents and their adult grandchildren. Results revealed that Euro-American grandmothers and grandfathers have significantly greater affection for their granddaughters than their granddaughters have for them; however, this gap was not found for grandsons. Among Mexican Americans, grandsons have significantly greater affection for their grandfathers than their grandfathers have for them. Analyses of covariance revealed that when grandchildren of either ethnic group perceived themselves to be similar in attitudes and values to their grandparents, the gap between level of affection was significantly smaller.

Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships: From Families in Contexts to Families as Contexts

“…Mueller and Elder (2003) found no support for the finding that granddaughters are more likely than grandsons to have close ties with grandparents. Contrary to this, Giarrusso, Feng, Silverstein, and Bengtson (2001) found that grandsons' affection for their grandparents was greater than that of granddaughters, other factors being held equal. Research has also shown that children interact more and feel closer to the same-sex grandparents (Dubas, 2001;Giarrusso et al, 2001).…”

“…Contrary to this, Giarrusso, Feng, Silverstein, and Bengtson (2001) found that grandsons' affection for their grandparents was greater than that of granddaughters, other factors being held equal. Research has also shown that children interact more and feel closer to the same-sex grandparents (Dubas, 2001;Giarrusso et al, 2001). Contradictory to these findings, Silverstein and Long (1998) did not find evidence that same-gender dyads have significantly stronger relationships in their longitudinal study of grandparent-grandchild relationships.…”

“…The results of our analyses show that grandsons are closer to grandparents than granddaughters. While this contradicts some previous research, it is consistent with the recent findings of Giarrusso et al (2001), but not the findings from Mueller and Elder (2003) who found no differences between child's gender and closeness.…”

Marital Satisfaction, Negative Interaction, and Religiosity: A Comparison of Three Age Groups

“…Similarly, as noted earlier, Adelmann et al (1996) found that discord and negative spousal behavior declined across the life course for both blacks and whites while marital interdependence increased and marital satisfaction followed a U-shape pattern. Bengtson andKuypers (1971, cited in Winkeler, Filipp, &Boll, 2000) originated the "developmental stake hypothesis" (later renamed the "intergenerational stake hypothesis," Giarrusso, Du Feng, Silverstein, & Bengtson, 2001) to explain why older generations report a greater sense of consensus and affection in intergenerational relationships compared to reports of their children and grandchildren (Lynott & Roberts, 1997). According to this hypothesis, older individuals have a greater investment or "stake" in intergenerational relationships and thus are more invested in the relationship.…”

Intergenerational Solidarity

“…Giarrusso et al (2001) found evidence for a strong relationship between grandparents and their adult grandchildren: "longer life expectancy appears to result in long-term loving relationships" (p. 473).…”