Associations Between Grandparent Involvement and Psychological Difficulties in Adolescents Facing Family Adversity

The accumulation of disruptive family events has a well-established association with adolescent mental health problems. In this study, we investigated whether grandparent involvement serves as a promotive or protective factor for psychological adjustment when adolescents face high levels of family adversity. The sample comprised 536 adolescents (aged 13–15 years) from two schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Data were collected using a self-report survey, and mental health was assessed by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling demonstrated that cumulative proximal family stress was associated with more emotional and conduct problems in adolescents, whereas grandparent involvement was associated with fewer peer and conduct problems and less hyperactivity. The results of a path analysis testing for interaction effects indicated that in high-adversity family environments, grandparent involvement only had a protective effect against peer problems for female adolescents. Nevertheless, grandparent involvement served as a promotive factor for the full sample, compensating for the negative psychological outcomes associated with family risk. The finding that grandparent involvement was associated with better adolescent mental health across all levels of family stress supports a multigenerational approach to intervention in which practitioners work across generations to foster individual, family and community resilience.