10.26686/wgtn.12702854.v1
Á Szabó
Á
Szabó
Eva Neely
Eva
Neely
C Stephens
C
Stephens
The psychosocial benefits of providing non-kin childcare in older adults: A longitudinal study with older New Zealanders
Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington
2020
ageing
community grandparenting
loneliness
quality of life
volunteering
Public Health
Curriculum and Pedagogy
Psychology
Cognitive Sciences
2020-07-23 23:22:35
Journal contribution
https://openaccess.wgtn.ac.nz/articles/journal_contribution/The_psychosocial_benefits_of_providing_non-kin_childcare_in_older_adults_A_longitudinal_study_with_older_New_Zealanders/12702854
© The Author(s) 2019. Community grandparenting may promote the well-being of older adults. We examined the impact of non-kin and grandparental childcare on quality of life and loneliness using longitudinal data from 2653 older New Zealanders collected over 2 years. Providing both non-kin and grandparental childcare predicted greater self-realisation for women only and was associated with reduced levels of control and autonomy for men. Non-kin childcare was also associated with reduced social loneliness over time independent of gender. Findings suggest that non-kin grandparenting has psychosocial benefits for older adults. Surrogate grandparenting offers promising avenues for those without grandchildren to experience the benefits of grandparenting.