Caring for Grandchildren: A Burden or a Benefit? New Study Finds Positive Impact on Brain Health

Grandparents Who Cared for Grandchildren Show Higher Memory and Language Skills
Effect Seen Regardless of Frequency or Method... The Role of Caregiving Itself Matters

A study has found that grandparents who care for their grandchildren maintain better memory and language skills compared to those who do not. The analysis indicated that simply having the experience of participating in caregiving as a grandparent had a positive impact on cognitive function, regardless of the frequency or manner of caregiving.

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According to reports from the UK’s Daily Mail and others on January 26 (local time), Professor Flavia Kerekes and her team at Tilburg University in the Netherlands conducted three rounds of surveys and cognitive function tests on 2,887 grandparents aged 50 and older in the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2022.

The survey asked whether the participants had cared for their grandchildren in the past year, as well as detailed questions about the frequency and type of caregiving. Various caregiving activities were included in the study, such as overnight care, nursing sick grandchildren, play and leisure activities, helping with homework, accompanying them to and from school, and preparing meals.

Grandparents Who Cared for Grandchildren Showed Superior Memory and Language Skills

The analysis found that grandparents with caregiving experience scored higher overall in memory and language fluency tests than those without such experience. This difference remained even after adjusting for major variables such as age and health status. Notably, similar trends were observed regardless of the frequency or specific content of caregiving activities.

One striking finding was that the decline in cognitive function was less pronounced among grandmothers. Grandmothers who cared for their grandchildren experienced a slower decrease in cognitive function during the study period compared to those who did not.

The researchers explained, "The most important factor was not how often grandparents cared for their grandchildren, but the fact that they performed a caregiving role as grandparents." They added, "The potential benefits of grandchild caregiving are likely to be associated with the overall experience of involvement, rather than with specific activities or frequency."

Effects May Vary Depending on Caregiving Environment

However, the researchers noted that further studies incorporating additional variables such as family relationships and socio-economic conditions are necessary. They stated, "The effects may differ between voluntarily caring for grandchildren in a supportive and harmonious family environment and providing care in a situation that lacks support or feels involuntary and burdensome."

Grandparent caregiving can involve physical and emotional burdens as well as financial costs. Nevertheless, this study suggests that caring for grandchildren may have a positive impact on cognitive health among the elderly. As grandparent caregiving already constitutes an important part of the caregiving structure in our society, there are growing calls for discussions on institutional support and the division of caregiving roles.