Socially Withdrawn or Socially Engaged? The Impacts of Caring for Grandchildren on Social Participation Among Older Adults in China

OBJECTIVES: Grandparents caring for grandchildren (i.e., grandparenting) is a key aspect of intergenerational family dynamics. While extensive research has documented the health implications of grandparenting, relatively few studies have explored its association with social well-being. Grandparenting can either promote or constrain grandparents' social participation, depending on caregiving intensity and intergenerational living arrangements. These associations may also vary by gender due to gendered social norms and differences in opportunities for social networking. This study investigates the longitudinal association between grandparenting and social participation among grandparents and examines how this association differs by gender. METHODS: Data are drawn from the 2011, 2013, and 2018 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 8,907, aged 45-80). We use fixed-effects Poisson regression models to examine the association between different types of grandparenting and the number of social participation activities of grandparents. Subgroup analyses are conducted by grandparents' gender. RESULTS: In fixed-effects regression models adjusting for time-varying covariates, we find that nonintensive noncoresident grandparenting, intensive noncoresident grandparenting, and skipped-generation grandparenting are associated with increased social participation among grandparents compared to no grandparenting. However, no significant difference in social participation is observed between three-generation grandparenting and no grandparenting groups. Grandfathers show higher levels of social participation when engaging in nonintensive or intensive noncoresident grandparenting, whereas grandmothers experience increased social participation primarily with nonintensive noncoresident grandparenting. DISCUSSION: Overall, grandparenting promotes rather than hinders social participation among grandparents. This study highlights the role of intergenerational family relationships in facilitating older adults' social engagement in later life.