Author Identifier (ORCID)
David A. Coall: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0488-2683
Abstract
Grandparental child care is a vital form of social support that can enhance family well-being. Prior studies have found that older adults who provide support to one individual are more likely to offer help to others within their families and social networks. However, little research has examined whether helping others is associated with grandparental child care. Using data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe, covering 27 countries, and using multinomial regression models, we show that (a) support provided to individuals outside the household is associated with increased grandparental child care, whereas (b) family care provided within the household is not. The findings are further discussed with particular attention to their societal implications.
Keywords
Caregiving, grandparents, resource competition, support
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Publication Title
Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services
Publisher
Sage
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Savela, R., Coall, D. A., Danielsbacka, M., & Tanskanen, A. O. (2026). Providing help in Europe: Are in-household care and outside-household support associated with grandparental child care? Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894251414815