Re-examining the benefits of becoming a grandparent: No evidence of positive associations in the United States and England.

Abstract

Despite positive associations between active grandparenting and well-being, little evidence so far suggests that the transition to grandparenthood increases well-being. We extend previous work from Europe, where weak effects were found, in two ways. First, kin effects are likely to be context-dependent and differ by the type and generosity of the welfare state, and by mortality rates. Second, it may be that the grandparent derives more benefits from the grandchild as young child than a new-born or infant. We retest this hypothesis with longitudinal data from the US and England. Both these studies follow people for a longer time so we further test whether effects of grandparenting emerge later after the birth of the grandchild. We found no evidence for these hypotheses in either setting, with the exception of English women who reported higher subjective life expectancy after becoming a grandmother. These largely null findings have implications for theories of grandparenting.