The Bond between Grandparents and Grandchildren from the Perspective of Teenagers

Abstract

Social and cultural changes have led to a progressive interest in the investigation of the relationships between grandparents and grandchildren. Objective: to evaluate the socio-educational functions perceived by adolescent grandchildren with respect to their grandparents and the shared activities between adolescent grandchildren and grandparents. Materials and method: exploratory and descriptive research. the sample comprised 210 adolescent grandchildren of both genders, between 12 and 16 years old (M = 14.45; ds = 0.85) belonging to cities in the province of Entre Ríos, Argentina. Results: the results obtained show the importance that has been given to the bond with the maternal grandmother, as preponderant in the relationship with the four grandparents. adolescents mostly self-perceive interest and concern on the part of their grandparents regarding their studies and the activities they carry out, as they also value their advice and opinions, and learn from them as well. Furthermore, although adolescents consider their grandparents' opinion important to them, in no case is their grandparents’ advice more important than that of their own parents’. a great variety of shared activities was evidenced both for men and women being the most frequently shared activities the ones related to talking, having a conversation and sharing some meals. Conclusion: this study reflects on the bond of grandparenting addressed as an example of intergenerational dialogue and intergenerational educational practice.