Life satisfaction and quality of mental health deteriorated when care was discontinued.
Grandparents who stopped caring for their grandchildren during the pandemic were significantly more likely to experience depressive symptoms than grandparents who continued to care for their grandchildren, a study found. Reducing or stopping time spent with grandchildren reduces life satisfaction and quality.
This is the result of a study conducted by a research team at University College London in the UK in the UK Longitudinal Aging Study (ELSA) data on 2,468 grandparents over 50 who had grandchildren under the age of 15.
According to the study, in February 2020, just before the pandemic, 52% of grandparents cared for their grandchildren. In the first year of the pandemic, the UK government advised older people to avoid direct contact with others to reduce their risk of contracting the virus. This included keeping away from grandchildren and young people.
Perhaps because of the impact, 22% of grandparents reported that most of their participation in caring for their grandchildren decreased compared to before the pandemic. About 10% stopped caring for their grandchildren completely in the first nine months following the pandemic.
More than a third (34.3%) of grandparents who stopped caring for their grandchildren during the first nine months of the pandemic reported higher levels of depressive symptoms, including sadness and sleep disturbance, compared to grandparents who continued to care for their grandchildren. At the same time, they reported lower life satisfaction and quality.
Lead author Dr. Giorgio Di Guesa said: “It may have had negative mental health consequences for grandparents who were unable to spend time with their grandchildren for reasons beyond their control, becoming frustrated and distressed.”
“Caring for grandchildren can increase life satisfaction by giving grandparents emotional satisfaction and a feeling of being useful and capable,” he said. It can strengthen intergenerational relationships and positive emotional exchanges that can help
“We know from previous studies that the global pandemic and policies that limit human interaction pose greater risks to mental health and well-being,” said co-author Dr. Bruno Arpino. “The important role of grandparents in family life “Despite the potential health benefits of caring for children and grandchildren, few studies have looked at grandparents to date.”
Co-author Dr Valeria Bordone said, “If physical distancing policies remain a key strategy to protect those at higher risk from the COVID-19 mutation, the mentality of the elderly who may suffer from a loss of meaningful roles in their families and society. We also need to pay attention to our health and to addressing our needs.”
The study was published in the Journal of Gerontology: Series B. The original title is ‘Changes in Grandparental Childcare During the Pandemic and Mental Health: Evidence From England’.
