Children's Bonding with Parents and Grandparents and Its Associated Factors

Child Indic Res. 2016 Jun;9(2):551-564. doi: 10.1007/s12187-015-9328-0. Epub 2015 Aug 30.

Abstract

Previous literature has focused on the importance of both parental and grandparental bonding. However, few studies have been conducted to measure children's bonding with parents and grandparents simultaneously, especially tested by the same instrument that offers more comparable results. Therefore, we studied the relationships between parental and grandparental bonding using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), and possible associations between these bonds and sociodemographic variables in 905 Chinese children aged 10-14 years. Children's bonding with mother, father, and grandparents were positively correlated, and the final mixed-effect model showed that several sociodemographic factors (e.g., gender, only children, parents' marital status, and mother's occupation) were associated with parental and grandparental bonding.

Keywords: Children; Family bonding; Grandparental bonding; Grandparenting; Parental bonding; Parenting.