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BRADLEY UNIVERSITY | DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

www.Bradley.edu

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*MGM: Maternal grandmother; PGM: paternal grandfather; MGF: maternal grandfather; PGF: paternal grandfather

Note: Lower scores indicate greater closeness

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Ageism: Dependent on Relationships With Grandparents

Amanda Allgeier, Johnna Armstrong Watson, Autumn Brown, Kylie Kruis, Makenna Metoyer, Camryn Picken, Emma Rogers, Gen Stedwill, Val Weinberg

Mentor: Dr. Claire A. Etaugh

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• Ageism can be described as negative or positive stereotypes, prejudice and/or discrimination against (or to the benefit of) aging people because of their chronological age. (Iversen et al. 2009).
• Maintaining frequent contact with older adults throughout childhood and adulthood results in less ageism; that is, more positive opinions of older adults (Burnes et al., 2019; Smith & Charlton, 2020).
• However, no research has examined whether closeness of relationships with grandparents is linked to lower ageism. That is the primary focus of the present study.
• Grandchildren tend to report more involvement/contact with and stronger relationships with grandmothers than with grandfathers (Roberto & Stroes, 1992).
• The relationship with the maternal grandmother generally is closer than with the paternal grandmother (Chan & Elder, 2000).

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• Surveys were completed by 79 female and 74 male college students attending a Midwestern, mid-sized, private university.
• Participants completed:

1.the Ambivalent Ageism Scale, that measures benevolent and hostile ageism

2. a questionnaire asking about their contact and relationships with their grandparents; and

3. a demographic information survey.

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• Being closer to grandparents was significantly related to less benevolent ageism for males (but not females) and was significantly related to less hostile ageism for both females and males. (See Table 1.) Hypothesis 1 is largely supported.
• On the three items measuring close relationships with grandparents, females reported being significantly closer to their grandmothers than to their grandfathers . (See Table 2.) Hypothesis 2a is supported.
• On the three items measuring close relationships with grandparents, males also reported being significantly closer to their grandmothers than to their grandfathers . (See Table 2.) Hypothesis 2a is supported.
• On the three items measuring close relationships with grandparents, both females and males reported being significantly (p<.05) closer to their maternal than to their paternal grandmothers. Hypothesis 2b is supported.
• Contact with grandparents was not linked with ageism.

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1. The greater the closeness with one’s grandparents, the less ageism (both benevolent and hostile) will be shown by both female and male college students.
2. Female and male college students will have closer relationships with: a. grandmother(s) than grandfather(s); and b. with maternal grandmothers than paternal grandmothers.Hypotheses

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• Our study is the first to find that having a close relationship with grandparents is linked to having less ageism among female and male college students.
• Our findings support prior research showing that grandchildren are closer to grandmothers than grandfathers, especially maternal grandmothers.
• Limitations include issues with sampling; our population is largely white, heterosexual college students, and 100% of participants are cisgender
• Future studies could examine why closeness with grandparents did not affect females’ benevolent ageism

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Table 1: Correlations Between Ageism and 3 Items Showing Close Relationships with Grandparents for Females & Males

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Note: Lower scores on ageism and closeness questions = less ageism and greater closeness

*p < .05 **p < .01

Table 2: Three Items Showing Degree of Closeness to Grandmothers & Grandfathers Reported by Females & Males

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Burnes, D. Sheppard C., Henderson, C., Wassel, M., Cope, R., Barber, C., Pillemer, K. (2019). Interventions to reduce ageism against older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. AJPH, 108(8), 1-9.

Chan, C.G., & Elder, G.H.(2000). Matrilineal advantage in grandchild- grandparent relations. Gerontologist, 40, 179-190.

Iversen, T. N., Larsen, L., & Solem, P. E. (2009). A conceptual analysis of ageism. Nordic Psychology, 61(3), 4-22. https://doi.org/10.1027/1901-2276.61.3.4

Roberto, K.A. & Stroes, J. (1992). Grandchildren and grandparents: Roles, influences, and relationships. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 34(3),227-239. doi:10.2190/8CW7-91WF-E5QC-5UFN

Smith, B. T., & Charlton, K. (2020). When grandparents move in: Consequences of growing up with older adults. Social Psychology, 51(5), 299-308. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000415

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Introduction

Hypotheses

Methods

Tables

Results

Discussion

References