Intergenerational Contact and Ageism: A Scoping Literature Review of the Association Between Grandchild-Grandparent Relationships and Attitudes Toward Older Adults
Authors
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Sara Filoni
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Alessia Valmori
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Silvia Donato
Abstract
Ageism has negative effects on older adults’ mental and physical health and on intergenerational relationships. Beside interventions that reduce this process, it appears important to consider the grandparent-grandchild relationship’s potential role in countering ageism, because of its features. Thus, this scoping literature review aims to collect current knowledge on the grandparent-grandchild relationship and ageism, with a particular focus on their association. A total of 18 articles were included, employing the following approaches: quantitative (n = 13)—including 11 cross-sectional and 2 experimental studies—qualitative (n = 3), mixed methods (n = 1), and one narrative literature review. It was found that: 1) both contact quality and frequency are associated with ageism reduction and an increase in positive attitudes toward older adults, even if there is a stronger agreement regarding contact quality; 2) self-disclosure (i.e., the sharing of personal information in the grandparent-grandchild relationship) is related to positive attitudes and stereotypes toward older people; 3) closeness, 4) interaction anxiety and 5) accommodation can mediate the relation between explicit attitudes towards older adults and other variables (e.g., self-disclosure and contact quality). Overall, the grandparent-grandchild relationship holds promising potential in the prevention of ageism.