How grandparental involvement predicts preschoolers' social development in Chinese families

Grandparents play an important yet understudied role in early caregiving, particularly in Chinese families where grandparental involvement in childrearing is culturally normative. However, prior research has yielded inconsistent findings regarding the developmental effects of grandparental involvement, in part due to limited attention to the multidimensional nature of this concept. Drawing on four-wave longitudinal data from 129 Chinese families with preschoolers (M_age = 48.97 months, SD_age = 6.00, 48.8% girls), the present study examined whether the quantity (i.e., frequency and breadth) and quality (i.e., grandparenting behaviors and intergenerational coparenting) of grandparental involvement predicted children's social development. Latent growth curve and structural equation modeling revealed that the quality of grandparental involvement was significantly associated with growth in children's social skills and problem behaviors. In contrast, quantity had no direct associations with child social outcomes but moderated the effects of quality: High-quality caregiving was more beneficial under conditions of lower frequency or broader grandparental engagement. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing between structural and relational aspects of grandparental involvement and examining their interactive effects. Relevant interventions and policies should focus on promoting emotionally supportive grandparental practices and on designing culturally responsive programs that help families manage the complexities of frequent grandparental involvement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).