Grandparenting, Social Relations, and Mortality in Old Age

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• Grandparent caregiving is a growing phenomenon among older adults.
• Understanding the health implications of grandparent caregiving is crucial for public health.
• The convoy model of social relations provides a framework for examining social support networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between grandparenting status, social relations, and mortality risk.
• To examine how different types of grandparent caregiving (co-parenting, custodial, occasional babysitting) impact mortality.
• To explore the moderating role of social relations in the grandparent caregiving-mortality link.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008, 2016 waves) with N=564 community-dwelling grandparents aged 65+.
• Employed latent class analysis to identify social network structures based on relationship indicators.
• Applied hierarchical Weibull hazard models to estimate survival associations.

Main Results:

• Co-parenting and custodial grandparents faced higher all-cause mortality risk compared to occasional babysitters.
• The increased mortality risk for custodial grandparents was not significant after accounting for social relations.
• Improved relationship quality and community support may be protective factors for older adult caregivers.

Conclusions:

• Grandparent caregiving, particularly intensive forms, can be associated with elevated mortality risk in older adults.
• Social relations play a significant role in mediating the health outcomes of grandparent caregivers.
• Interventions promoting social support and quality relationships are vital for the well-being of older adults providing grandparent care.