Abstract

CASTANEDA-GARCIA, Pedro Javier et al. Which activities do great-grandparents and great-grandchildren share in family contexts? An analysis of a new intergenerational relationship. Anal. Psicol. [online]. 2021, vol.37, n.2, pp.265-275.  Epub June 21, 2021. ISSN 1695-2294.  https://dx.doi.org/10.6018/analesps.37.2.355631.

The main aim of this study was to find out more about the role of great-grandparenthood. A group of participants with great-grandchildren (n = 78) was interviewed using a questionnaire containing questions that had been put through a previous pilot study, covering participants' sociodemographics, the activities that participants shared with their great-grandchildren, and their view of the role of great-grandparent and their related degree of satisfaction. The data were recorded and analyzed both with frequency tables and descriptive statistics and with the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test. The results showed several significant relationships between the shared activities and the sociodemographic variables, such as great-grandparents' age (p ≤ .05), education (p ≤ .01), health status (p ≤ .05), the distance at which they live from their great-grandchildren (p≤ .05). Also, it was found that participants generally consider the role of great-grandparent to be a continuation of their prior role as grandparent, albeit from the perspective of a formal intergenerational typology, distinct from the informal typology and, above all, opposed to the role of substitute/surrogate. Greater perceived satisfaction was associated with this typical interaction of the formal role (p ≤ .01). Great-grandparents may already be fulfilling a notable function in today's four-generation families.

Keywords : Great-grandparents; Great-grandchildren; Family roles; Intergenerational relationships; Role perception.

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