Becoming a Grandparent: A Longitudinal Study of Expectations and Early Experiences as a Function of Sex and Lineage

Abstract

First-time grandparents (N = 152) participated in a study of expectations of grandparenthood while their first grandchild was still in utero. One to 2 years after their first grandchild was born, they were asked to fill out the Thomas (1990) grandparent questionnaire again, and 103 did so. Expectations and experiences of grandparenthood were compared separating grandparents by sex and by lineage. Expectations and experiences of grandparenthood differed by both grandparent sex and lineage. In particular, grandmothers reported greater satisfaction and overall meaning in grandparenthood than grandfathers, whereas grandfathers felt more able to offer child-rearing advice to the parents. In regard to lineage, maternal grandparents were more satisfied in grandparenthood than they expected to be, whereas paternal grandparents were not.