Talašová Zuzana, Souralová Adéla
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Gerontologist. 2025 Mar 25;65(4). doi: 10.1093/geront/gnae181.
Great-grandparenthood brings a new internal dynamic to intergenerational relationships in which contact between 4 generations is now the norm. In this scoping review, we sought to identify the roles of great-grandparents and what those roles entail.
We performed a review using PRISMA-ScR to identify peer-reviewed studies investigating the roles of great-grandparents. The reviewed articles were selected from 4 databases. The article selection conditions were met by 23 studies that used quantitative or qualitative methods. The studies had to be published in English; the selected publications spanned 8 countries.
The scoping review covers a collection qualitative and quantitative research with different types of respondents (great-grandchild, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.). An important element was a statement on great-grandparenting from at least 1 of the 4 generations. We selected 23 articles from an initial selection of 176 studies. The studies were heterogeneous in conceptual frameworks, collection methods, and interview conduct, with qualitative methods predominating over quantitative methods.
Based on research on great-grandparenting, the roles of great-grandparents can be categorized as continuing, insignificant, or significant. Each role category has a specific function and each represents a different meaning for the great-grandparents within the family. Several factors and constraints frame the great-grandparent roles. Based on the research results, some characteristics are shared by all role categories despite the dividing elements.
成为曾祖父母给代际关系带来了新的内在动态，如今四代人之间的联系已成为常态。在这项范围综述中，我们试图确定曾祖父母的角色以及这些角色的具体内涵。
我们使用PRISMA-ScR进行综述，以识别调查曾祖父母角色的同行评审研究。综述文章从4个数据库中选取。23项使用定量或定性方法的研究符合文章选择条件。这些研究必须以英文发表；所选出版物涵盖8个国家。
范围综述涵盖了对不同类型受访者（曾孙、祖父母、曾祖父母等）的定性和定量研究。一个重要因素是四代人中至少有一代对担任曾祖父母的表述。我们从最初筛选的176项研究中选取了23篇文章。这些研究在概念框架、收集方法和访谈实施方面存在差异，定性方法占主导地位。
基于对担任曾祖父母的研究，曾祖父母的角色可分为持续型、无足轻重型或重要型。每个角色类别都有特定功能，且对家庭中的曾祖父母而言各代表不同意义。有几个因素和限制塑造了曾祖父母的角色。基于研究结果，尽管存在区分因素，但所有角色类别都有一些共同特征。
