A Cultural Perspective on Health Outcomes of Caregiving Grandparents: Evidence from China

Three-generation extended family households still constitute a fairly large proportion of households in China. This study aims to understand intergenerational relationships in Chinese families by examining health outcomes of grandparents that provide caregiving to their grandchildren.Design and Methods: Data are from the Survey on Aging and Intergenerational Relations in Baoding City, China. Multiple regressions are conducted to examine the relationship of caregiving to physical and mental health outcomes of grandparents, after controlling for a number of other factors.Results: Results of multiple regression analysis in this study show that caregiving is positively related to grandparents' physical and mental health status. Results further show that among grandparents providing childcare, those residing with grandchildren have better health outcomes than those who do not live with grandchildren.Implications: Discussion focuses on cultural expectations as well as social support received by grandparents. The findings suggest the importance of understanding individuals within the context of their particular culture and the need to create a supportive environment for caregiving grandparents.