Individual und dyadic experiences in the transition to grandparenthood II

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This project builds on the project “Individual and dyadic experiences in the transition to grandparenthood". It addresses the relevance of the transition to grandparenthood for individual and couple experiences. More precisely, we examine (a) grandparenthood as an important life longing for those who have adult children but no grandchildren, (b) the transitional process itself and its effects on work-related attitudes, and, finally, (b) the enjoyment of grandparenthood in grandparental couples. Data from one cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies will be analyzed. The first study is devoted to the conceptualization and operationalization of the longing for grandparenthood and the relevance of this longing for subjective well-being. Based on data that had been collected in the first funding period (N = 450 individuals with at least one adult child, no grandchildren yet), it was shown that longing for a grandparenthood is associated with lower life satisfaction, but that emotional support in the partnership is able to mitigate this relationship. In the second study, based on a multi-wave longitudinal design (four measurement occasions with six-month intervals), we analyze how the transition to grandparenthood affects attitudes towards work and retirement. For this purpose, periods before having a grandchild will be compared with those as (expectant) grandparents. Moreover, trajectories of work-related attitudes among (becoming) grandparents will be contrasted with trajectories among those individuals who do not experience the transition during the two-year observation. The sample will include N = 600 individuals who either are already grandparents, become grandparents during the observation period, or do not experience this transition during this period. In the third study, a dyadic approach is taken. Here, N = 190 grandparental couples (with grandchildren up to a maximum age of eight years) respond to questionnaires at two measurement occasions (four-week interval). The aim is to test whether the joy and fulfillment aroused by the grandchild is not only positively related to one’s own well-being (e.g., meaning of life, satisfaction with the partnership), but is also reflected in the well-being of one’s partner.