Is there a link between older adults' frequency of (face-to-face and remote) contact with grandchildren and cognitive functioning over 12 years?

OBJECTIVE: Past research has linked more frequent social contacts with better cognition and slower cognitive decline in older adults. An open question is whether face-to-face and remote contact with one's grandchildren can be beneficial.

METHODS: We analyzed data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K) covering a span of 12 years and two age cohorts (young-old < 78, N = 1100; old-old ≥ 78 years, N = 705). We used latent growth curve models, to examine whether frequency of face-to-face or remote grandchild contact was associated with cognitive levels and decline and applied (random intercept) cross-lagged models to investigate if these associations were reciprocal.

RESULTS: Face-to-face contact with grandchildren was positively linked to levels of cognition in young-old adults only. We found no associations with cognitive decline. Results of cross-lagged models suggested that grandparents with better cognition had more face-to-face (for young-old adults only) or remote (for old-old adults only) grandchild contact at subsequent waves. However, more grandchild contact was not associated with later cognition.

DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that grandparents with better cognition engage more with their grandchildren, but that frequency of grandchild contact is not a protective factor against later cognitive decline in older adults.