Are Individuals Aged 80+ Providing Great‐Grandchild Care More Satisfied With Their Lives and Less Lonely? Findings Based on a Nationwide Representative Sample

TL;DR

This study finds that providing care for great-grandchildren is linked to higher life satisfaction for women over 80, but not for men or overall loneliness.

Contribution

The study is the first to use a nationally representative sample to examine the link between great-grandchild care and well-being in individuals aged 80+.

Findings

Providing great-grandchild care is associated with higher life satisfaction among women aged 80+.

There is no significant association between great-grandchild care and loneliness for the total sample or by sex.

The effect on life satisfaction is not observed in men or the overall sample.

Abstract

Overall, there is a lack of studies examining whether providing great‐grandchild care is associated with life satisfaction and loneliness, based on nationally representative samples. Thus, we aimed to examine whether providing great‐grandchild care is associated with life satisfaction and loneliness (also stratified by sex).

Data were used from the “Old Age in Germany (D80+)” study—a nationwide representative study encompassing community‐dwelling and institutionalised individuals aged 80+ in Germany (n = 995 in the analytic sample). Frequently used tools were used to quantify both loneliness and life satisfaction. Caring for great‐grandchildren served as the key independent variable. It was adjusted for several sociodemographic and health‐related factors. Linear regression models were estimated. Robustness checks were conducted.

Regressions showed that providing great‐grandchild care was not significantly associated with higher life satisfaction among the total sample and men, but among women. Moreover, it was not significantly associated with loneliness (neither in the total sample nor in both sexes).

Providing great‐grandchild care is associated with higher life satisfaction among women aged 80 years and over. Future research in other countries and based on longitudinal data is recommended.