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. 2023;21(2):194-214.
doi: 10.1080/15350770.2021.1991869. Epub 2021 Oct 22.

Grandparenting activities and mental health in Northern Sri Lanka

Kathryn L Hale  1 , Lauren C Zalla  1   2 , Elissa M Scherer  1   3 , Truls Østbye  4   5 , Pethirupillai Amal Dinesh Coonghe  6 , Rajendra Surenthirakumaran  6 , Joanna Maselko  1   2
Affiliations

Grandparenting activities and mental health in Northern Sri Lanka

Kathryn L Hale et al. J Intergener Relatsh. 2023.

Abstract

Grandparenting activities are of increasing interest to researchers seeking to understand reduced social engagement and depression among aging adults. Heterogeneity in the population and caretaking roles complicate its measurement. We piloted a measure of grandparenting activities among 79 grandparents (aged 55+) in Sri Lanka and correlated those activity levels with psychological distress. Second, we explored whether the aforementioned correlation varied by grandparent functional limitations. We found that greater engagement in generative grandparenting activities was correlated with lower distress, and that association was stronger among grandparents with more functional limitations. We discuss possible explanations and implications of these findings.

Keywords: Sri Lanka; grandparenting activities; healthy aging; instrumental activities of daily living; psychosocial distress; quantitative research.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of grandparenting activity sum score (N=79).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Association between activity sum score and psychosocial distress among all grandparents.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Association between activity sum score and psychosocial distress among high functioning (IADL ≥11; N=60) vs. low functioning (IADL ≤10; N=19) grandparents.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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