Spiritual Grandparenting

Loriena Yancura (FCS) has co-authored a new publication, “The Contributions of Religious Practice, Existential Certainty, and Raising Grandchildren to Well-Being in Older Adults,” just published in the Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Aging. The authors examined whether religious practice, spiritual development, and existential certainty are positively linked to well-being in grandparents, and whether these factors, which are believed to foster well-being across the life course, buffer grandparents from the risks associated with raising grandchildren and adjusting to changing roles. Data were collected from more than 2,000 individuals attending Protestant churches. Spiritual development and existential certainty were positively associated with well-being, but no evidence was found that religious practice had any buffering effects on grandparent well-being. Grandparents raising grandchildren did report more challenges in adjusting to changes in roles compared to their peers.