The Influence of Grandparents on the Lives of Children and Adolescents

TLDR

Recent trends such as increased life expectancy, smaller families, and more single‑parent households raise the likelihood that grandparents will play significant roles in grandchildren’s lives. This article reviews current research on grandparents’ influence on children and adolescents and outlines future research directions. The review examines nonresidential grandparents, three‑generational family dynamics, and the well‑being of families where grandparents raise grandchildren. Studies of nonresident grandparents are inconclusive, while children in three‑generational families generally fare as well as those in married families—though outcomes differ by race—and custodial grandparent families show both strengths and needs that warrant further investigation.

Abstract

Abstract Recent trends such as increased life expectancy, decreases in family size, and the rise of both single‐parent families and maternal employment increase the potential for grandparents to play important roles in the lives of their grandchildren. In this article, I review recent research and discuss directions for research on grandparents' influence on the lives of children and adolescents. I consider the role of nonresidential grandparents in children's lives, grandparents' influence in three‐generational families, and the well‐being of families in which grandparents are raising their grandchildren. Research regarding the influence of nonresident grandparents on children is inconclusive, with several studies indicating no or negligible roles for grandparents in such families. Studies of three‐generational families suggest that children in such arrangements often fare just as well as children in married families, although these patterns vary by race. Finally, new research highlights areas of need and strength in custodial grandparent families and future research seeks to examine how these factors relate to children's well‐being.