Looking back, looking ahead: Parental regret and longing for grandparenthood

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Adult Development

Background:

• Parental regret is a distinct form of regret concerning one's parenting experiences.
• Understanding parental regret is crucial for comprehending adult psychological well-being and life transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a measure for parental regret.
• To explore the relationship between parental regret and the desire for grandparenthood.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Developed a parental regret questionnaire, assessing construct validity and stability in parents of adult children.
• Study 2: Investigated the association between parental regret and longing for grandparenthood in parents without grandchildren.

Main Results:

• Parental regret demonstrated a valid factor structure (general and omission regret).
• Parental regret is distinct from, but related to, other regret types and pessimism.
• A significant positive correlation was found between parental regret and longing for grandparenthood.

Conclusions:

• The developed questionnaire effectively measures parental regret.
• Parental regret may contribute to idealized fantasies of grandparenthood, manifesting as a longing for this role.