The roles of grandparents in child development: A cultural approach

Abstract

Researchers in the field of child development have typically downplayed the influence of grandparents on their grandchildren and on their adult children, and most studies of grandparents have taken place inWestern societies. This chapter focuses on three sets of research questions. First, how do grandparents influence their young or preschool age grandchildren, how are they influenced by their grandchildren, and how do grandparents influence their adult children? Second, what are some similarities and differences among grandparents, between and within cultural groups? Third, how do grandparents affect, and how are they affected by, cultural variations in children's social worlds and in social competencies valued by different cultures? As an assessment of the growing social science research literature on grandparenthood in cultural context, this chapter illustrates many contextual influences on grandparents and indicates that a multi-disciplinary and cultural approach is necessary to better understand and support grandparents worldwide.