Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39460566›Full record

ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2025

Is There a Link Between Older Adults' Frequency of (Face-to-Face and Remote) Contact With Grandchildren and Cognitive Functioning Over 12 Years?

Flavia S Chereches, Nicola Ballhausen, Gabriel Olaru, Erika J Laukka, Yvonne Brehmer

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Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Flavia S CherechesDepartment of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8644-036X
Nicola BallhausenDepartment of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-2268-3354
Gabriel OlaruDepartment of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7430-7350
Erika J LaukkaAging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-7283-750X
Yvonne BrehmerDepartment of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7043-2832

Funding

County Councils and Municipalities 2021-00178Swedish Research Council 2021-00178
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesPast research has linked more frequent social contacts with better cognition and slower cognitive decline in older adults. An open question is whether face-to-face and remote contact with one's grandchildren can be beneficial.

methodsWe analyzed data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen covering a span of 12 years and 2 age cohorts (young-old <78, N = 1100; old-old ≥78 years, N = 705). We used latent growth curve models to examine whether frequency of face-to-face or remote grandchild contact was associated with cognitive levels and decline and applied (random intercept) cross-lagged models to investigate if these associations were reciprocal.

resultsFace-to-face contact with grandchildren was positively linked to levels of cognition in young-old adults only. We found no associations with cognitive decline. Results of cross-lagged models suggested that grandparents with better cognition had more face-to-face (for young-old adults only) or remote (for old-old adults only) grandchild contact at subsequent waves. However, more grandchild contact was not associated with later cognition. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that grandparents with better cognition engage more with their grandchildren, but that frequency of grandchild contact is not a protective factor against later cognitive decline in older adults.

Indexed as

AgingCognitionCognitive DysfunctionGrandparentsIntergenerational RelationsAgedAged, 80 and overChildFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleSwedenCognitionFace-to-face contactGrandparenthoodRemote contact

Identifiers

PMID39460566
PMCPMC11831800

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.