Grandparenting, Social Relations, and Mortality in Old Age

• Published in: Research on aging Vol. 44; no. 3-4; pp. 265 - 275
• Main Authors: Jang, Heejung, Tang, Fengyan, Fusco, Rachel A., Engel, Rafael J., Albert, Steven M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2022; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Aged; Caregiving; Grandchildren; Grandparents; Humans; Independent Living; Intergenerational Relations; Intergenerational relationships; Interpersonal relations; Latent class analysis; Mortality; Older people; Parenting; Parents & parenting; Quality; Retirement; Social networks; Social relations; Well being; social support; mortality; grandparenting; social networks
• ISSN: 0164-0275; 1552-7573
• DOI: 10.1177/01640275211015433

Guided by a convoy model of social relations, this study investigates the relationships between grandparenting status, social relations, and mortality among community-dwelling grandparents age 65 and older who are caring for their grandchildren. The data were drawn from the 2008 and 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 564). Latent class analysis was used to identify the social network structure based on six indicators of interpersonal relationships and activities. A series of hierarchical Weibull hazard models estimated the associations between grandparent caregiving, social relations, and mortality risk. Results of survival analyses indicate that co-parenting and custodial grandparents had higher all-cause mortality risk than grandparents who babysat occasionally; however, for custodial grandparents, the association was not significant once social relation variables were added to the model. This study suggests that community-based support may be beneficial to older grandparents and improved relationship quality is integral to the well-being of older adults.