Activities between grandfathers and grandchildren before and during Covid-19. Analysis of the level of satisfaction and perception of the intergenerational role

Abstract

Due to the important family role that grandmothers play in raising their grandchildren, this work studies the lesser-known role of grandfathers. For this, a group of 110 male participants (mean 73.6 years) was interviewed, for analysis of: a) their level of satisfaction in five types of active roles with their grandchildren, alone, and with their spouses, before and during the Covid-19 lockdown; and b) their general perception of the role of being a grandparent. The data obtained were analyzed with descriptive and non-parametric inferential methods (Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, chi square, and correlations). Data showed that participants, who were mostly married and retired, showed three satisfaction levels with their grandchildren: high for family celebrations, average for activities involving play and sociocultural transmission, and low for housework and academic/intellectual activities. Participants' age, marital status, health status, and education, as well as the age and number of grandchildren, were associated with these satisfaction levels. Most participants favored the formal grandparenting role, and marital status, health status, education, and grandchildren's age and sex were associated with their views of grandparenting roles. Physical contact during the Covid-19 lockdown dropped by 72.7%. We concluded that activities shared between grandfathers and grandchildren and views on the grandparenting role are influenced by the sociodemographic variables of both. More research is needed to expand this knowledge.