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Older adults often look for ways to maintain mental sharpness as they age. A new study published in Psychology and Aging suggests that while being a grandparent caregiver is linked to higher cognitive function, the specific amount of time spent on care or the types of activities performed may not be the primary drivers of this benefit, particularly for preventing decline over time.
Keeping the brain active is a priority for many aging individuals. Researchers have often examined lifestyle factors that might protect against memory loss and cognitive slowing. Engaging in hobbies, solving puzzles, and maintaining a strong social network are frequently cited as protective behaviors.
One major source of social engagement for older adults is caring for grandchildren. This role provides social interaction and requires mental effort. However, the exact relationship between looking after grandchildren and brain health has remained somewhat unclear.
Flavia S. Chereches of Tilburg University led a team to investigate this dynamic. The researchers wanted to understand if simply being a caregiver is enough to see benefits. They also wanted to know if the frequency of care matters. Additionally, they sought to determine if specific activities, such as helping with homework or playing games, yield different results.
Previous studies have produced mixed results regarding grandparenting and health. Some research suggests that the role offers a sense of purpose and social connection. These factors can boost well-being and brain function.
Other studies indicate that the responsibility can be stressful or overwhelming. This is sometimes called role strain. The team behind the current study noted that most prior research treated caregiving as a simple yes or no question. Few studies have looked at the specific tasks grandparents perform.
The researchers used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. This is a long-term project that tracks the health and lifestyles of people aged 50 and older in England. The team analyzed data collected over three waves between 2016 and 2022. They focused on a group of nearly 3,000 grandparents.
To ensure accurate comparisons, the team used a statistical technique called propensity score matching. This method allowed them to compare caregiving grandparents with non-caregiving grandparents who were otherwise very similar. They matched participants based on age, education, marital status, and physical health. This step was essential to control for the “healthy caregiver” effect. This effect refers to the fact that people who are healthy enough to provide care are likely to have better cognitive function to begin with.
The study measured cognitive function in two ways. First, they assessed verbal fluency. Participants were asked to name as many animals as possible in one minute. This test measures how well a person can retrieve information from their memory. Second, they assessed episodic memory. Participants listened to a list of ten words and had to recall them immediately and again after a delay.
The researchers first compared the caregivers to the matched non-caregivers. They found that grandparents who provided care generally had higher scores on both memory and verbal fluency tests. This association appeared for both grandmothers and grandfathers. However, a difference emerged when looking at changes over time.
Grandmothers who provided care showed a slower rate of cognitive decline compared to non-caregiving women. This protective effect against aging was not statistically significant for grandfathers. While caregiving grandfathers started with higher scores, their cognitive abilities declined at a similar rate to non-caregivers.
The researchers then looked exclusively at the group of grandparents who provided care. They wanted to see if doing more care work led to better outcomes. They analyzed the number of days per year spent looking after grandchildren. Surprisingly, the frequency of care did not predict cognitive health. Grandparents who provided care almost every day did not have better cognitive scores than those who helped less often.
The team also examined specific activities. They asked participants about seven different types of engagement. These included watching grandchildren overnight, caring for them when ill, and playing or doing leisure activities. Other categories included preparing meals, helping with homework, picking them up from school, or simply being present.
The analysis showed that grandparents with higher cognitive scores tended to engage in certain activities more often. Specifically, those with better memory and verbal fluency were more likely to help with homework and participate in leisure activities. Grandparents with higher verbal fluency also tended to prepare meals and provide transportation more frequently.
The variety of activities also showed a link to cognition. Grandparents who performed a wider mix of tasks had higher cognitive scores. This aligns with the idea that engaging in diverse activities can exercise different parts of the brain. It is similar to the concept of cross-training for physical fitness.
However, neither the specific activities nor the variety of tasks predicted how cognition changed over time. Engaging in a wide range of activities was associated with having a better memory at the start. It did not, however, slow down the rate of memory loss over the six-year period.
The study revealed consistent gender differences in caregiving behaviors. Grandmothers reported performing all seven measured activities more frequently than grandfathers. This supports previous sociological findings that women often take on a more active or managerial role in childcare. Grandfathers may often provide care alongside their partners rather than independently. This difference in the nature of the role might explain why the long-term protective benefits were observed only in women.
“Many grandparents provide regular care for their grandchildren—care that supports families and society more broadly,” said lead researcher Flavia Chereches. “An open question, however, is whether caregiving for grandchildren may also benefit grandparents themselves. In this research, we wanted to see if providing grandchild care might benefit grandparents’ health, potentially slowing down cognitive decline.”
There are important caveats to consider when interpreting these results. The study found associations but cannot prove causation. It is possible that reverse causality is at play. This means that grandparents with better cognitive function are simply more capable of helping with homework or managing a complex schedule of activities.
The researchers also noted that they did not measure the perceived burden of care. They do not know if the grandparents provided care voluntarily or out of obligation. Care that feels like a choice may have different health effects than care that feels like a heavy duty. Additionally, the study period overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic. This global event disrupted family interactions and may have influenced the results.
The findings challenge the assumption that more is always better. The frequency of care was not the deciding factor for brain health. This suggests that the benefits of grandparenting might stem from the role itself rather than the hours logged. It could be related to the emotional satisfaction of being a grandparent. It could also be related to the identity of being a helpful family member.
“What stood out most to us was that being a caregiving grandparent seemed to matter more for cognitive functioning than how often grandparents provided care or what exactly they did with their grandchildren,” Chereches noted. “More research is needed to replicate these findings, yet, if there are benefits associated with caregiving for grandparents, they might not depend on how often care is provided, or on the specific activities done with grandchildren, but rather on the broader experience of being involved with caregiving.”
Future research should investigate the quality of the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. Understanding the family context is necessary. Researchers should ask participants how demanding or enjoyable they find the caregiving tasks. It would also be beneficial to look at these dynamics over a longer period.
The study, “Grandparents’ Cognition and Caregiving for Grandchildren: Frequency, Type, and Variety of Activities,” was authored by Flavia S. Chereches, Gabriel Olaru, Nicola Ballhausen, and Yvonne Brehmer.
