Young adult grandchildren's intergenerational and digital solidarity with grandparents and depressive symptoms during the pandemic

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to investigate the patterns of intergenerational and digital solidarity between young adult grandchildren and their grandparents, and how different patterns were associated with young adult grandchildren's depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: It is known that a close bond between grandparents and young adult grandchildren positively influences young adult grandchildren's mental health. However, there is limited understanding of which patterns of relationships offer psychological benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Using data from the 2022 survey of the Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG), we conducted latent profile analysis to identify intergenerational and digital solidarity patterns among 160 young adult grandchildren–grandmother relationships (grandmother group) and 136 young adult grandchildren–grandfather relationships (grandfather group). Results: We discovered the same three latent profiles in both groups: tight-knit and digitally connected, obligatory, and detached. We found that young adult grandchildren who had a tight-knit and digitally connected relationship with grandparents reported fewer depressive symptoms than those who had a detached relationship with grandparents. Conclusion: Consequently, maintaining digital communication with grandparents compensated for the lack of in-person contact and contributed to the alleviation of depression among young adult grandchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications: Our findings indicate that understanding the dynamics involved in intergenerational solidarity provides numerous opportunities for society, communities, and families to work together in generating support across all generations.