Department of Computer Information and Decision Management, West Texas A&M University, Paul & Virginia Engler College of Business, Box 60768, Canyon, TX, 79016, USA.
Department of Marketing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Business, HLH 335P, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2022 Apr 11;22(1):714. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13049-4.
Affection exchange theory (AET) explains the value of received affection for overall wellbeing in family relationships. However, this study extends prior work by investigating AET in grandmother-grandchild relationships and grandchildren's individual well-being. This study seeks to understand the relationships between adult grandchildren's received grandmother affection and health-related behaviors such as diet, exercise, substance abuse, and sleep.
This cross-sectional study included 229 university student participants. Multiple regression analyses were performed to analyze received grandmother affection and grandchildren's health behaviors.
Using cross-sectional survey methods, it was found that grandchildren's reports of received memories and humor, and celebratory affection influenced grandchildren's dietary behaviors. Received love and esteem, memories and humor, and celebratory affection was also associated with grandchildren's exercise behaviors.
Grandchildren who receive grandmother affection may be likely to engage in the well-being process by engaging in health behaviors, while those who are not receiving affection might suffer the health consequences in adulthood. These findings support the assumption of affection exchange theory that received family affection, in this case, grandmother affection leads to positive health outcomes such as enhanced dietary and exercise behaviors among grandchildren.
情感交换理论（AET）解释了在家庭关系中，从他人那里获得的情感对整体幸福感的价值。然而，这项研究通过调查祖母-孙辈关系和孙辈的个体幸福感，扩展了先前的工作。本研究旨在了解成年孙辈收到祖母的情感与饮食、锻炼、物质滥用和睡眠等与健康相关的行为之间的关系。
本横断面研究包括 229 名大学生参与者。采用多元回归分析方法分析了孙辈收到的祖母情感与孙辈的健康行为之间的关系。
采用横断面调查方法，研究发现孙辈对收到的记忆和幽默以及庆祝情感的报告影响了孙辈的饮食行为。收到的爱和尊重、记忆和幽默以及庆祝情感也与孙辈的锻炼行为有关。
收到祖母情感的孙辈可能更有可能通过参与健康行为来参与幸福感的过程，而那些没有收到情感的孙辈在成年后可能会遭受健康后果。这些发现支持了情感交换理论的假设，即获得的家庭情感（在这种情况下是祖母的情感）会导致积极的健康结果，例如增强孙辈的饮食和锻炼行为。
