Synonyms
Definition and Overview
Ageism in the family generally refers to negative ageism (negative attitudes toward older adults; Levy and Macdonald 2016) that is manifested in the family. Examples include when family members perceive older relatives as a burden or engage in elder abuse. Attitudes toward older relatives are shaped by their roles such as parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents as well as whether the intergenerational interactions tend to be positive or negative (Levy 2016). The role of grandparents in the family is increasingly being considered a positive role as grandparents can be important contributors to childcare in families in contemporary societies. For example, studies of countries in Western Europe find over 50% of grandparents report providing childcare for their grandchildren in some capacity (Bordone et al. 2017), and 24% report caregiving for their grandchildren on a consistent part-time basis (DiGessa et al. 2016)....
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Bordone V, Arpino B, Arnstein A (2017) Patterns of grandparental childcare across Europe: the role of the policy context and working mothers’ need. Ageing Soc 37(4):845–873. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X1600009X
Burn K, Szoeke C (2015) Grandparenting predicts late-life cognition: results from the women’s healthy ageing project. Maturitas 81:317–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2015.03.013
Chen F, Mair CA, Bao L, Yang YC (2015) Race/ethnic differentials in the health consequences of caring for grandchildren for grandparents. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 70(5):793–803. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbu160
DiGessa G, Glaser K, Tinker A (2016) The impact of caring for grandchildren on the health of grandparents in Europe: a lifecourse approach. Soc Sci Med 152:166–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.01.041
Grundy EM, Albala C, Allen E, Dangour AD, Elbourne D, Uauy R (2012) Grandparenting and psychosocial health among older Chileans: a longitudinal analysis. Aging Ment Health 16:1047–1057. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2012.692766
Horsfall B, Dempsey D (2015) Grandparents doing gender: experiences of grandmothers and grandfathers caring for grandchildren in Australia. J Sociol 51(4):1070–1084. https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783313498945
Kaufman G, Elder GH (2003) Grandparenting and age identity. J Aging Stud 17(3):269–282. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0890-4065(03)00030-6
Levy BR (2009) Stereotype embodiment: a psychosocial approach to aging. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 18(6):332–336. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01662.x
Levy SR (2016) Toward reducing ageism: PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) model. Gerontologist 58(2):226–232. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw116
Levy SR, Macdonald JL (2016) Progress on understanding ageism. J Soc Issues 72(1):1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12153
Levy BR, Kasl SV, Gill TM (2004) Image of aging scale. Percept Mot Skills 99:208–210. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.99.1.208-210
Noriega C, López J, DomÃnguez R, Velasco C (2016) Perceptions of grandparents who provide auxiliary care: value transmission and child-rearing practices. Child Fam Soc Work 1:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12339
Zamberletti J, Cavrini G, Tomassini C (2018) Grandparents providing childcare in Italy. Eur J Ageing 15(3):265–275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-018-0479-y
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Apriceno, ., Scott, S. (2019). Ageism in the Family. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_588-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_588-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences