Grandparents Providing Childcare Linked to Better Cognitive Health

Recent research published in Psychology and Aging examined the relationship between grandparental caregiving and cognitive performance in older adults. The findings are based on data collected from participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing between 2016 and 2022.

The study included 2,887 grandparents with an average age of 67. Researchers assessed their cognitive abilities, focusing on memory and verbal fluency, and compared results between those who provided childcare and those who did not.

Grandparents who engaged in caregiving activities scored higher on cognitive tests than non-caregiving peers. These differences remained after adjusting for factors such as age and health status. The study also found that the frequency or type of caregiving did not alter the observed cognitive benefits.

Both grandmothers and grandfathers who provided care demonstrated higher levels of verbal fluency and episodic memory than those who did not provide care. However, only grandmothers showed a slower rate of cognitive decline over time, according to the research findings.

What the numbers show

• 2,887 grandparents participated in the study
• Mean participant age was 67 years
• Study period covered 2016 to 2022

The study was published by the American Psychological Association and appeared in the journal Psychology and Aging. Data analysis included adjustments for demographic and health-related variables to ensure robust comparisons between caregiving and non-caregiving groups.

Lead researcher Flavia Chereches of Tilburg University stated that the overall experience of providing care, rather than the frequency or specific activities, appeared to be more relevant for maintaining cognitive functioning. The findings suggest that any caregiving in the past year was associated with better memory and language test scores.

Additional reports by HealthDay News and Euronews highlighted that the cognitive benefits were especially notable among grandmothers. These outlets also noted that better episodic memory and verbal fluency were observed among grandparents who provided care, regardless of the specific caregiving activities performed.

According to the PubMed abstract, while both caregiving grandmothers and grandfathers had higher cognitive test scores compared to non-caregivers, only grandmothers experienced less cognitive decline over time. The study also indicated that grandparents with initially higher cognitive levels tended to participate in a wider range of caregiving activities, but caregiving frequency itself did not predict cognitive performance.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.