“My second mum and dad” - Grandparents Plus

Strong findings from the current study:
There were two important findings from the study relating to the well-being
of young people. First, in the survey of 1566 young people, there was a measure
of how close grandchildren were to their grandparents 6.6 . There was a very strong
relationship between closeness to a specific grandparent (the closest) and ‘prosocial’
behaviour in young people as indicated on the subscale of the Strengths
and Difficulties Questionnaire 6.7 . The total score on this questionnaire has been
widely used in the UK and internationally to measure overall levels of adjustment.
Subscales measure different aspects of adjustment. Young people who scored
highly on the pro-social subscale would have answered positively to the following
questions.
I try to be nice to other people. I care about their feelings
I usually share with others (food, games, pens etc.)
I am helpful if someone is hurt, upset or feeling ill
I am kind to younger children
I often volunteer to help others (parents, teachers, children)
The relationship between grandparent involvement and child
adjustment (when a range of factors were taken into account) 6.8
Table 6.1
Grandparent involvement in: Associated with
This suggests that there was a two-way intergenerational societal gain. Closeness
to a grandparent fostered in the young people a greater understanding of others’
feelings and needs as well as a greater willingness to help.
The second strong message from the current study is that grandparents’
involvement, rather than emotional closeness, was strongly associated with greater
well-being of the children. That is, grandparents who got ‘stuck in’ impacted on
their grandchildren’s overall well-being as measured by the total score of the
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The findings, when a range of child, family
and community factors were taken into account (see appendix C for full details)
were highly significant. This is a particularly important finding from the study as
it is the first research in a nationally representative sample of young people to
demonstrate a clear link between grandparent involvement and child adjustment.
Hobbies and interests Fewer behaviour and emotional difficulties in grandchildren,
and fewer peer problems.
Schooling or education Fewer overall adjustment problems and less anti-social behaviour.
Talking about future plans Fewer overall adjustment problems and fewer emotional symptoms.
In addition these young people had fewer problems with their peers.
My second mum and dad / 21