Grandparents’ Co-Parenting Styles in Chinese Cities: Living Styles and Mothers’ Quality of Life

抄録

This study investigated grandparents’ co-parenting styles in child-rearing and its association to the well-being of 525 mothers with children aged 12-24 months in a Chinese city, using a questionnaire survey method. It confirmed that more than 70% of grandparents are taking part in the early child-rearing at the present day. About 63% of young families with young children live together with grandparents, and about 14% of young families live near grandparents within 30 minutes walking distance. The results of this study identified that living distance is an important factor in mothers’ quality of life (QOL). Those mothers who lived together with or near grandparents showed a higher QOL than those who live far from grandparents. However, further comparison analysis results indicate that those who live within walking distance but do not live together or very nearby had the highest scores in psychological/social/environment/total QOL. Meanwhile, those living together with grandparents reported more generational conflicts during daily life, which had a negative relationship with the mothers’ QOL. No significant difference was found in mothers’ QOL and generational conflicts between the mothers living together with paternal grandparents and those with maternal ones.