Korean J Women Health Nurs.  2010 Sep;16(3):288-296. 10.4069/kjwhn.2010.16.3.288.

Grandmother's Life Satisfaction and Influencing Factors by Grandparenting

• Chung CW
• Kim MJ

• KMID: 2308190
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2010.16.3.288

Abstract

PURPOSE
The study was to compare the factors of life satisfaction between grandmothers parenting and not parenting their grandchildren.
METHODS
A descriptive design with a convenience sampling was used for this study. From communities in S and U city, 85 parenting grandmothers (PG) and 103 non-parenting grandmothers (NPG) were recruited. The PG were those grandmothers who cared for preschooler grandchildren for their daughter or daughter-in-law who was employed.
RESULTS
The demographics of the two groups were similar, however the value of grandparenting was significantly higher in the PG than the NPG (t=4.56, p<.001). In the PG, strong and significant correlations were found among the value of grandparenting, health status, quality of relations with adult children, and life satisfaction. However, demographics were more related to health status and life satisfaction in the NPG. The value of grandparenting, health status, and quality of grandmother-adult children relations were found to be significant factors of life satisfaction (F=20.75, p<.001) explaining 42% of the variances. In the NPG, only health status was a significant factor (F=50.66, p<.001) explaining 33% of the variances.
CONCLUSION
This study shows that grandmothers' perceptions of grandparenting and family relationships need to be incorporated into the lifestyle in order to support parenting grandmothers' life satisfaction while grandmothers' health is the common concern of elderly women's life satisfaction.

Keyword

Parenting; Life; Satisfaction; Aged; Health status

MeSH Terms

Adult Children
Aged
Child
Demography
Family Relations
Humans
Life Style
Nuclear Family
Parenting
Parents

Reference

1. Bae J.H. Factors affecting the psychological well-being of grandparents raising grandchildren: Focusing on the comparison between parenting grandparents and co-parenting grandparents. Social Welfare Policy. 2007. 29(4):67–94.

2. Bae J.H., Roh S.K., Kweon K.S. Current practices of grandparents raising grandchildren and their needs for support. Journal of Future Early Childhood Education. 2008. 15(1):379–410.

3. Bryson K., Casper L.M. Current populations reports: Special studies (pp. 23-198). 1999. Retrieved June 16, 2010. Washington DC: U.S.: Census Bureau;23–198. from http://www.census.gov/prod/99pubs/pp.23-198.pdf.

4. Choi S.J., Jang I.H. Welfare for the aged. 2006. Seoul: Seoul National University Press.

5. Deci E.L., Ryan R.M. Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life's domains. Canadian Psychology. 2008. 49(1):14–23.

6. Hughes M.E., Waite L.J., LaPierre T.A., Luo Y. All in the family: The impact of caring for grandchildren on grandparents' health. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. 2007. 62(2):S108–S119.

7. Kang H.S., Lee J.H. The relationship of health and life of satisfaction on rural elderlies. Health and Social Science. 2007. 21:51–64.

8. Kim M.J. A study of the caregiving burden on grandmothers who raise their grandchildren: A phenomenological research. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing. 2007. 37(6):914–923.

9. Kim M.J. Structural equation modeling on life satisfaction in grandmothers parenting grandchildren. 2009. Seoul: Seoul National University;Unpublished doctoral dissertation.

10. Kim S.Y. Relationships between older persons' conceptualizations of time and health. 1992. Seoul: Ewha Womans University;Unpublished master's thesis.

11. Kim U.C., Park Y.S., Kwon Y.E. Intergenerational analysis of family values among Korean mothers: With specific focus on values of children, socialization attitudes, and support of elderly parents. Korean Journal of Psychological and Social Issues. 2005. 11(1):109–142.

12. Survey of actual condition of child rearing. Korean National Statistical Office. 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2010. from http://ups.kosis.kr/upload/Magazine/NEW/KP/KS1025.xls.

13. Summary of economically active population by gender and age group. Korean National Statistical Office. 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2010. from http://kosis.kr/ups3/service/ch_file_down.jsp?PUBCODE=KL&FILE_NAME=/ups3/upload/Magazine/NEW/KL/040302.xls&SEQ=230.

14. Lee E., Chung Y., Kim J., Song R., Hwang K. Statistical methods for health care research. 2006. Seoul: Koonja.

15. Lee E.Y. A study on the proxy nursing in respect to working mothers: Focusing on the nursing of grandchildren by grandparents. 2006. Gwangju: Chosun University;Unpublished master's thesis.

16. Lee J.K., Lee E.A., Cho J.E. Negotiating work and family life in South Korea: Class differences among working women. Journal of Korean Women's Studies. 2006. 22(2):41–79.

17. Lee J.Y., Chung K.M., Kim W.K. The mental health study of caregiving grandmothers comparing with non-caregiving grandmothers of middle class. Korean Journal of Woman Psychology. 2008. 13(3):325–341.

18. Mossey J.M., Shapiro E. Self-rated health: A predictor of mortality among the elderly. American Journal of Public Health. 1982. 71(8):800–808.

19. Musil C.M., Warner C.B., Zauszniewski J.A., Jeanblanc A.B., Kercher K. Grandmothers, caregiving, and family functioning. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. 2006. 61(2):S89–S98.

20. Oh J.A.. A structural model on the quality of life of grandmothers caring for their grandchildren. Journal of Korean Academy of Child Health Nursing. 2007. 13(2):201–211.

21. Oh S.H., Yoon D.S. A comparative study on quality of life on the elderly among urban, farm and island area. Journal of Welfare for the Aged. 2006. 32:119–147.

22. Sands R.G., Goldberg-Glen R.S., Thornton P.L. Factors associated with the positive well-being of grandparents caring for their grandchildren. Journal of Gerontological Social Work. 2005. 45(4):65–82.

23. Shin H.Y., Cho B.E. Rewards, costs and relationship quality perceived by caregiving adult children: A comparison between Koreans and Korean Americans. Journal of Family Relations. 2004. 9(1):153–174.

24. Smith J., Fleeson W., Geiselmann B., Settersten R.A. Jr., Kunzmann U. Baltes P.B., Mayer K.U, editors. Sources of well-being in very old age. The Berlin aging study: Aging from 70 to 100. 2001. New York: Cambridge University Press.

25. Smith T.W., Glazer K.M. Crane D.R., Marshall E.S, editors. Hostility, marriage, and the heart: The social psychophysiology of cardiovascular risk in close relationships. Handbook of families and health: Interdisciplinary perspectives. 2006. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

26. So K.S. A study on the social support and the life satisfaction of the elderly in urban-rural complex city. Journal of Welfare for the Aged. 2007. 38:7–30.

27. Sok S.H., Kim K.B. A comparative study of the factors influencing quality of life between urban and rural elderly. Journal of Korean Academy of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. 2008. 18(3):341–350.

28. Waldrop D.P., Weber J.A. From grandparent to caregiver: The stress and satisfaction of raising grandchildren. Families in Society. 2001. 82(5):461–472.

29. Yoon G. Construction of the life satisfaction scale for the aged. Proceedings of the Korean Psychological Association Annual Convention. 1982. 26–30.

30. Yoon H.S., Heo S.Y. The mediating and moderating effects of social relationship on health status and life satisfaction of the elderly. Journal of the Korean Gerontological Society. 2007. 27(3):649–666.