Wang Huan, Huang Jianyuan
Institute of Population Research, Hohai University, No.8 Focheng Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
BMC Geriatr. 2023 Oct 13;23(1):660. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-04396-x.
The practice of grandparenting has been growing in popularity worldwide, particularly in Asian societies. Nevertheless, there is a lack of thorough studies investigating the mental health effects of grandchild care on grandparents, particularly within the family context. The present study aimed to explore the impact of grandparenting on depressive symptoms in older Chinese adults, taking into account the functional role of intergenerational support.
Using the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS, 2014 and 2018, N = 9,486), we employed the Pooled Ordinary Least Square method (POLS) to explore the association between depressive symptoms and grandparenting intensity as well as include the interaction terms to investigate the role of intergenerational support among grandparents aged from 60 to 80.
After adjusting for control variables, both non-intensive (-0.17; 95% CI: -0.30, -0.03) and intensive (-0.69; 95% CI: -0.95, -0.43) childcare, as well as giving financial support to adult children (-0.06; 95% CI: -0.08, -0.04) and emotional closeness with them (-0.94; 95% CI: -1.15, -0.72), were found to have a positive impact on the mental health of grandparents. Giving financial support (non-intensive: -0.04, 95% CI: -0.07, -0.01; intensive: -0.06, 95% CI: -0.13, -0.01) and providing instrumental support to adult children (non-intensive: -0.12, 95% CI: -0.24, -0.01; intensive: -0.19, 95% CI: -0.37, -0.02) moderated the association between grandparenting and the mental health of older adults, regardless of care intensity. However, the moderating role of receiving financial support (-0.07; 95% CI: -0.12, -0.02) only existed when non-intensive childcare was provided.
Grandchild care predicted better mental health in grandparents, mainly when they engaged in intensive grandparenting. Emotional closeness and providing financial support to adult children brought mental health benefits to grandparents involved in childcare. Giving financial support and providing instrumental support to adult children moderated the association between grandparenting and the mental health of older adults. However, the moderating role of receiving financial support from adult children only existed when non-intensive childcare was provided.
在全球范围内，尤其是在亚洲社会，祖父母育儿的做法越来越普遍。然而，缺乏深入研究来调查照顾孙辈对祖父母心理健康的影响，特别是在家庭环境中。本研究旨在探讨祖父母育儿对中国老年人抑郁症状的影响，同时考虑代际支持的功能作用。
利用中国老年社会追踪调查（CLASS，2014年和2018年，N = 9486），我们采用混合普通最小二乘法（POLS）来探讨抑郁症状与祖父母育儿强度之间的关联，并纳入交互项以研究60至80岁祖父母之间代际支持的作用。
在调整控制变量后，非密集型（-0.17；95%置信区间：-0.30，-0.03）和密集型（-0.69；95%置信区间：-0.95，-0.43）育儿，以及给予成年子女经济支持（-0.06；95%置信区间：-0.08，-0.04）和与他们的情感亲密程度（-0.94；95%置信区间：-1.15，-0.72），都被发现对祖父母心理健康有积极影响。给予经济支持（非密集型：-0.04，95%置信区间：-0.07，-0.01；密集型：-0.06，95%置信区间：-0.13，-0.01）和为成年子女提供工具性支持（非密集型：-0.12，95%置信区间：-0.24，-0.01；密集型：-0.19，95%置信区间：-0.37，-0.02）缓和了祖父母育儿与老年人心理健康之间的关联，无论育儿强度如何。然而，获得经济支持的调节作用（-0.07；95%置信区间：-0.12，-0.02）仅在提供非密集型育儿时存在。
照顾孙辈预示着祖父母有更好的心理健康，主要是当他们参与密集型祖父母育儿时。与成年子女的情感亲密程度以及给予经济支持给参与育儿的祖父母带来了心理健康益处。给予成年子女经济支持和提供工具性支持缓和了祖父母育儿与老年人心理健康之间的关联。然而，成年子女给予经济支持的调节作用仅在提供非密集型育儿时存在。
