Life Satisfaction: Navigating the Role of Raising Grandchildren for Grandparents in South Korea and the United States

Background and Purpose: Globally, grandparents raising grandchildren is not uncommon because they are the first choice for caregivers when parents are unable to raise their children (Yang et al., 2022). However, there are no consistent findings regarding the positive or negative impacts on the health of grandparents (Musil et al., 2011). Moreover, there are few studies measuring the perceived life satisfaction of older adults raising grandchildren. The study aims to discover factors impacting grandparents’ life satisfaction in both South Korea and the U.S. between those having the primary responsibility of raising their grandchildren (GRC group) and those who are not (GNRC group). Research questions include (1) what factors impact their life satisfaction at the individual, family, and environment levels? and (2) are there any cross- national similarities or differences of factors on life satisfaction?

Methods: Secondary data were used from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) and the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) issued in 2018, and statistical analysis was performed using STATA 17.0. A total of 3065 Korean grandparents (including 143 GRC group and 2292 GNRC group) and a total of 2623 American grandparents (including 857 GRC group and 1766 GNRC group) aged 55 to 80 years old were included. Self-reported life satisfaction was measured as a dependent variable and multiple regression analysis was used to see which independent variables impacted life satisfaction the most.

Results: Mean age of Korean and American grandparents is 68.72 years old (SD=6.50) and 65.65years old (SD=6.72), respectively. In Korean groups, family relationships, followed by self-reported health status and financial support were statistically significant (p<.001) in life satisfaction for both GRC and GNRC groups, while functional ability (e.g., activities of daily living and institutional activities of daily living), presence of spouse/partner, and income were statistically significant in life satisfaction only for the GNRC group. In American groups, family relationships and self-reported health status were statistically significant (p<.001) in life satisfaction for both GRC and GNRC groups, while functional ability was statistically significant only in GNRC group. Three demographic variables such as income, presence of spouse/partner, and religion/spirituality were statistically significant (p<.001) in life satisfaction for both American GRC and GNRC groups. Overall, family relationships and self-reported health status are crucial factors in life satisfaction in both GRC and GNRC groups of both countries. Remarkably, financial support by government is a significant influence on life satisfaction for both Korean GRC and GNRC groups, while personal income is a significant factor in life satisfaction for both American GRC and GNRC groups.

Conclusions and Implications: Caregiving for their grandchildren is likely to increase psychosocial, physical, and financial burdens for older adults already at risk of limited finances, physical functions, and social connections. Findings suggest more focused interventions and programs to increase their life satisfaction, with counseling to improve family relationships and educating health-promoting lifestyles and restructuring social policies supporting grandparents’ finances. Additional research should focus on promoting long-term health for grandparents raising grandchildren in future decades in both countries.