If you’re fortunate enough to have had your grandparents as a child, you know they can play many beautiful and loving roles, from caregiver to teacher to nonjudgmental listener. Maybe they baked you pies, bought you toys, made sure you had money for field trips and book fairs, and taught you how to change the oil in your first car.
You may not know that your grandparents, especially your maternal grandmother, may have contributed to positive outcomes for you and your mother since before you were born. A series of studies shows that an involved maternal grandmother helps with pregnancy and birth outcomes (even decreasing fetal mortality!), improves childhood mental health and resilience to hardship, and improves the grandchild’s mental health and well-being into adulthood.
Childhood Mental Health
One study, done in Singapore and published in the Journal of Marriage & Family, focused on childcare and mental health. It examined households that utilized various childcare options, including those that hired domestic helpers, those where the maternal grandparents, paternal grandparents, or some combination of both helped with childcare, and those with no childcare help.
Mothers whose own mothers helped with childcare (defined as spending two or more hours with the child per week) said that they were more likely to use positive parenting techniques and to parent with warmth. This finding was not replicated in households where paternal grandparents or a combination of both maternal and paternal grandparents provided childcare.
As for the children, the study asked them to self-report on their mental health at age 10. It specifically requested about interpersonal problems, symptoms of depression, and about feeling effective. Those who had a grandparent involved in their life while younger reported better mental health overall compared to those who had other childcare arrangements.
Effects Last Into Adulthood
Another study, this one in Finland, published in the journal Nature, noted differences in individuals suffering from adverse childhood events. It focused on children between the ages of 11 and 16.
This study found that those who had suffered adverse early life experiences, or AELEs, could suffer long-term emotional and behavioral problems. These issues, researchers note, could cause life problems stretching into adulthood.
However, in those households where a maternal grandmother was involved (either by offering childcare or financial assistance), the emotional and behavioral problems were reduced (though not eliminated). Yet, the study found that investment by other grandparents did not show the same improvement in mental and behavioral health. Researchers hypothesize that this may be related to other grandparents reducing support after multiple AELEs while maternal grandmothers statistically do not.
The Benefits Begin Before Birth
Yet another study found benefits from the involvement of the pregnant woman’s mother even before the grandchild was born. This one was done in California and focused on a group of Latina mothers.
It found that when the maternal grandmother was involved, the pregnant woman suffered less emotional distress and depression. This was further examined, as prenatal stress and anxiety are tied to lower birth weights, increased risk of premature birth, and other adverse outcomes.
The study showed the benefits of a positive relationship and involvement with the maternal grandmother-to-be, even when the relationship was long-distance. Researchers also found results that led to speculation that more time spent with close family during pregnancy reduced the incidence of preterm births.
Conclusions?
While many factors influence pregnancy, child-rearing, and development, including social support from not only family but also friends and others, there is plenty of evidence that grandparents’ involvement improves mental health and well-being for their grandchildren, and this is especially true for the maternal grandmother’s involvement.
