[Relations between grandparents and grandchildren].

In spite of the steadily increasing number of grandparents there is only few research on this subject. In four studies we tried to elaborate forms of interaction between grandparents and grandchildren of different age groups. The samples comprised grandparent-grandchildren pairs, which were explored separately in an extensive way (altogether 232 subjects). Comparative results on contact-frequency, styles of grandparenting, functions of grandparents, meaning of the parent-generation and--only for the elder people--perception of own grandparents as well as satisfaction with the grandparent role are reported and discussed.