Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Time with Grandchildren: Subjective Well-Being Among Grandparents Living with Their Grandchildren

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The share of children living with grandparents has increased in recent years. Previous studies have examined how time with grandparents is associated with child well-being, but we know little about how grandparents fare in their time with grandchildren. We used diary data from the American Time Use Study (ATUS) to examine the association between grandparents’ time in activities with grandchildren and multiple measures of their subjective well-being in those activities. We used a subsample of co-residential grandparents from the American Time Use Study (N = 868 individuals; 2474 activities), paying close attention to potential differences between three-generational families (those with parents, grandparents and grandchildren living together) and grandfamilies (which do not include the parent generation). We examined subjective well-being (happiness, meaning, sadness, tiredness and stress) in relation to family type (three-generational or grandfamily) and grandchild presence during the activity, as well as other characteristics of the activity (e.g., type of activity, duration, etc.) and of the grandparent (i.e., demographic variables). This is the first study to address grandparent SWB as affective response to activities in relation to presence of grandchildren during those activities. Results of multilevel models show that grandparents living with their grandchildren experienced more happiness and more meaningfulness when they engaged in activities with their grandchildren compared to spending time alone or with other people. This relationship was partially moderated by family type, such that grandfamily grandparents experienced less happiness in time with grandchildren than alone, relative to grandparents in three-generational families.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American time use survey user’s guide: Understanding ATUS 2003 to 2017. (2018). https://www.bls.gov/atus/documents.htm.

  • Amorim, M., Dunifon, R. E., & Pilkauskas, N. V. (2017). The magnitude and timing of grandparental coresidence during childhood in the US. Demographic Research,37, 1695–1706. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2017.37.52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arpino, B., Bordone, V., & Balbo, N. (2018). Grandparenting, education and subjective well-being of older Europeans. European Journal of Ageing,15(3), 251–263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-018-0467-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, S. J., Haynes, D. C., & Letiecq, B. L. (2013). “How can you retire when you still got a kid in school?” Economics of raising grandchildren in rural areas. Marriage & Family Review,49(8), 671–693. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2013.803009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bordone, V., & Arpino, B. (2016). Do grandchildren influence how old you feel? Journal of Aging and Health,28(6), 1055–1072. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264315618920.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowers, B. F., & Myers, B. J. (1999). Grandmothers providing care for grandchildren: Consequences of various levels of caregiving. Family Relations,48, 303–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2008). Happiness: Unlocking the mysteries of psychological wealth. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Pressman, S. D., Hunter, J., & Delgadillo-Chase, D. (2017). If, why, and when subjective well-being influences health, and future needed research. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being,9(2), 133–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12090.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., & Tay, L. (2014). Review of the day reconstruction method (DRM). Social Indicators Research,116(1), 255–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0279-x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolbin-Macnab, M. L., Rodgers, B. E., & Traylor, R. M. (2009). Bridging the generations: A retrospective examination of adults’ relationships with their kinship caregivers. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships,7(2–3), 159–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770902851197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunifon, R. E. (2018). “You’ve always been there for me”: Understanding the lives of children raised by grandparents. Camden, NJ: Rutgers University.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dunifon, R. E., Kopko, K., Wakschlag, L., & Chase-Lansdale, P. L. (2016). Multigenerational relationships in families with custodial grandparents. In M. H. Meyer & Y. Adbul-Malak (Eds.), Grandparenting in the United States. New York, NY: Baywood Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunifon, R. E., Near, C. E., & Ziol-Guest, K. M. (2018). Backup parents, playmates, friends: Grandparents’ time with grandchildren. Journal of Marriage and Family,80, 752–767. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunifon, R. E., Ziol-Guest, K. M., & Kopko, K. (2014). Grandparent coresidence and family well-being implications for research and policy. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,654(1), 110–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716214526530.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller-Thomson, E., & Minkler, M. (2007). Mexican American grandparents raising grandchildren: Findings from the Census 2000 American Community Survey. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services,88(4), 567–574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, C. (2012). Caregiving grandmothers and their grandchildren: Well-being 9 years later. Children and Youth Services Review,34(4), 648–654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.12.009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, C., & Silverstein, M. (2002). Grandmothers raising grandchildren: Family structure and well-being in culturally diverse families. The Gerontologist,42(5), 676–689.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hank, K., Cavrini, G., Di Gessa, G., & Tomassini, C. (2018). What do we know about grandparents? Insights from current quantitative data and identification of future data needs. European Journal of Ageing, 15, 225–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-018-0468-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayslip, B., Fruhauf, C. A., & Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2017). Grandparents raising grandchildren: What have we learned over the past decade? The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnx106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofferth, S. L., Flood, S. M., & Sobek, M. (2013). American time use survey data extract system: Version 2.4 [Machine-readable database]. College Park, MD and Minneapolis, MN: Maryland Population Research Center and Minnesota Population Center.

  • Hudson, N. W., Lucas, R. E., & Donnellan, M. B. (2016). Getting older, feeling less? A cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation of developmental patterns in experiential well-being. Psychology and Aging,31(8), 847. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D., & Krueger, A. B. (2006). Developments in the measurement of subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Perspectives,20(1), 3–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D., Krueger, A. B., Schkade, D. A., Schwarz, N., & Stone, A. A. (2004). A survey method for characterizing daily life experience: The day reconstruction method. Science,306(5702), 1776–1780. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1103572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H.-J., Kang, H., & Johnson-Motoyama, M. (2017). The psychological well-being of grandparents who provide supplementary grandchild care: A systematic review. Journal of Family Studies,23(1), 118–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2016.1194306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, A. B., Kahneman, D., Fischler, C., Schkade, D., Schwarz, N., & Stone, A. A. (2009). Time use and subjective well-being in France and the US. Social Indicators Research,93(1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9415-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ku, L.-J. E., Stearns, S. C., Van Houtven, C. H., Lee, S.-Y. D., Dilworth-Anderson, P., & Konrad, T. R. (2013). Impact of caring for grandchildren on the health of grandparents in Taiwan. Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences,68(6), 1009–1021. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbt090.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, R. E., & Dyrenforth, P. S. (2006). Does the existence of social relationships matter for subjective well-being? In K. D. Vohs & E. J. Finkel (Eds.), Self and relationships: Connecting intrapersonal and interpersonal processes (pp. 254–273). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahne, K., & Huxhold, O. (2014). Grandparenthood and subjective well-being: Moderating effects of educational level. Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences,70(5), 782–792. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbu147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manns, A., Atler, K. E., & Fruhauf, C. A. (2017). Daily activities and experiences of custodial grandparents: An exploratory study. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Geriatrics,35(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703181.2017.1280112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, S. M., & Rosenthal, D. A. (2015). Personal growth, grandmother engagement and satisfaction among non-custodial grandmothers. Aging & Mental Health,19(2), 136–143. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2014.920302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Musick, K., Meier, A., & Flood, S. (2016). How parents fare: Mothers’ and fathers’ subjective well-being in time with children. American Sociological Review,81(5), 1069–1095. https://doi.org/10.1177/003122416663917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ngamaba, K. H., Panagioti, M., & Armitage, C. J. (2017). How strongly related are health status and subjective well-being? Systematic review and meta-analysis. The European Journal of Public Health,27(5), 879–885. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckx081.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pilkauskas, N. V., & Dunifon, R. E. (2016). Understanding grandfamilies: Characteristics of grandparents, nonresident parents, and children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 78, 623–633. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush, S. W., & Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods (Vol. 1). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, P., & Monden, C. (2019). Becoming a first-time grandparent and subjective well-being: A fixed effects approach. Journal of Marriage and Family,81(4), 1016–1026. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siedlecki, K. L., Salthouse, T. A., Oishi, S., & Jeswani, S. (2014). The relationship between social support and subjective well-being across age. Social Indicators Research,117(2), 561–576. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0361-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triadó, C., Villar, F., Celdrán, M., & Solé, C. (2014). Grandparents who provide auxiliary care for their grandchildren: Satisfaction, difficulties, and impact on their health and well-being. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships,12(2), 113–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2014.901102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Rachel E. Dunifon & Kelly A. Musick

  2. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Christopher E. Near

Authors
  1. Rachel E. Dunifon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kelly A. Musick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Christopher E. Near
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher E. Near.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 3, 4 and 5.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dunifon, R.E., Musick, K.A. & Near, C.E. Time with Grandchildren: Subjective Well-Being Among Grandparents Living with Their Grandchildren. Soc Indic Res 148, 681–702 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-019-02206-9

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-019-02206-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation