The Grandparent–Grandchild Relationship and Grandchildren's Developmental Outcomes: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

The grandparent–grandchild relationship has been found to influence grandchildren's development in various domains. However, there is a lack of a systematic review with quantitative synthesis about how relationships with grandparents were related to grandchildren's development. We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis for existing studies on the association between grandparent–grandchild relationship strength and grandchildren's psychological, social, behavioral, physical, and cognitive outcomes. A total of 59 independent samples and 374 effect sizes with a cumulative sample size of 71,395 published between 2002 and 2022 were included. Using a three-level meta-analytic approach, results revealed a small but positive pooled correlation between relationship with grandparents and grandchildren's developmental outcomes, r = 0.13, p < 0.001, 95% CI = [0.11, 0.16]. We also identified various demographic and methodological moderators that explained the heterogeneity of existing findings. The results reveal grandparents' constructive and dynamic role in the family system.