Grandparents are an important figure in the lives of our children. Various studies have shown that spending quality time between grandparents and grandchildren brings benefits for both of them, including that grandparents who care for their grandchildren live longer and that grandchildren who grow up near their grandparents.
Now, a new study that analyzed the relationship between the closeness of the grandchildren with their grandparents and the perception they had about older people, finding that By spending time with them, I helped them avoid prejudices about them.
Researchers at the University of Liège in Belgium published the results of this study in the journal Child Development, in which they analyzed the influence of the relationship between grandchildren and grandparents, in their perception of older adults.
The idea of performing this type of analysis arises because stereotypes, prejudices and even discrimination against the elderly can begin to manifest themselves from an early age, although the factors that cause this type of thoughts are not known with precision.
Therefore, they decided to analyze the relationship between the contact between grandchildren and grandparents, with the perception that children had about the elderly, this in order to know if the closeness they had with them influenced their thinking in any way.
Using different types of questions, both personal and family influence on the point of view of 1,151 children and adolescents from 7 to 16 years of age, on older adults, were reviewed. Among them, children were asked what they thought of the elderly and of getting older in general, as well as their feelings about their grandparents and how often they saw them and spent time with them.
The results of the study
After analyzing the responses of the participating children, it was found that there were four factors that affected his way of thinking:
- Gender (girls had more positive opinions than boys).
- Age (prejudices and stereotypes were lower among children 10 to 12 years old).
- The health of the grandparents.
- The quality of contact with grandparents.
It was found that who maintained a good relationship with their grandparents, also had more positive opinions about older adults, especially in the case of those children who saw them frequently.
In general, the children from 10 to 12 years old who saw their grandparents at least once a week were the ones with the most favorable opinions about the elderly, as well as those who described the relationship with their grandparents as "good" or "very good".
However, it was found that in the case of those children who had grandparents with health problems, they tended to have negative opinions about older adults.
The researchers concluded that in reality, although the frequency with which they visit their grandparents does matter, The most important and most influential in their positive or negative opinions is the quality of the relationship they have with their grandchildren.
Speaking from my personal experience, my sister and I grew up having my maternal grandmother at home, and now thinking about the results of this study I consider that It did have a lot to do with our close relationship with her, because we both feel a lot of empathy, affection and admiration for the elderly in general. Perhaps in a way, they remind us a little of her, even though she left us many years ago.
It is undoubtedly one more reason to foster a good relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, because in addition to the benefits we mentioned at the beginning, It helps them develop their empathic side towards older people.
Photos | iStock
Via | Woman's day
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