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15-12-2023 | Original Paper

Parental Sensitivity and Child Positive Affect: Grandparental Sensitivity as a Moderator

Auteurs: Huajian Gao, Lamei Wang

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies

Abstract

Grandparents taking part in bringing up grandchildren has become increasingly common across the world. However, the research discussing the impact of grandparenting in the family system is scarce. The goal of this study is to explore the role of grandparents in parent-child interactions, specifically the moderating role of grandparental sensitivity within family dynamics. In this study, we visited 67 Chinese families (including 52 three-generation families) with young children (2–3 years old) in a southern city to videotape the caregiver-child interactions during designated activities. We coded parental and grandparental sensitivity and the children’s positive and negative affect during the interactions. Results showed that both parental and grandparental sensitivity positively correlated with children’s positive affect while negatively correlated with children’s negative affect. Furthermore, for families in which parental sensitivity was high, higher grandparental sensitivity could boost the children’s positive affect further. This study underscores the importance of high grandparental sensitivity as a moderator in enhancing children’s positive affect in the family context, echoing the affectual solidarity dimension in Bengtson’s intergenerational solidarity model.

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Titel: Parental Sensitivity and Child Positive Affect: Grandparental Sensitivity as a Moderator
Auteurs: Huajian Gao
Lamei Wang
Publicatiedatum: 15-12-2023
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies
Print ISSN: 1062-1024
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-2843
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02745-3

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