The meaning of grandparenthood: a critical review and research agenda

Despite the importance of grandparenthood in the personal and family context, as well as its increasing economic, political and legal implications, research addressing its meaning and significance has been sparse and characterized by theoretical and methodological limitations. The main theoretical limitation is the lack of a clear definition at the conceptual level. Methodological limitations include not only the use of small and non-inclusive samples, most of which pertain to only one or two generations, but also the lack of a well-developed multidimensional measurement approach. The aim of the present paper is to describe the status of research on the meaning of grandparenthood, and discuss its conceptual and methodological developments, especially regarding measurement issues. An example of an ongoing research program is provided as a guideline for future research.