Little treasures they may well be – but looking after the grandchildren on a regular basis can be bad for your mental health, according to research.
A study has shown it significantly raises the risk of depression, especially in older grandparents tasked with looking after demanding youngsters under the age of six.
Researchers blamed the physical and financial strain of keeping infants entertained while their parents are at work.
Around five million grandparents regularly take on childcare responsibilities, according to the charity Age UK. Just under 90 per cent of these babysit at least once a week.
But in one in ten cases, they look after grandchildren at least once a day – in some instances for five years or more.
The majority get involved to help their own children work more to support the young family.
Age UK says so-called ‘gran-nannying’ has enormous benefits for older couples, keeping them mentally and physically active and curbing loneliness.
But the latest study, by a team of psychologists at the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, suggests not all grandparents experience positive effects.
A study has shown that looking after grandchildren significantly raises the risk of depression, especially in older grandparents tasked with looking after demanding youngsters under six
Researchers quizzed more than 400 elderly couples on how often they looked after their grandchildren and whether they suffered any problems with low mood.
The findings, published in the journal BMC Psychology, revealed no links with depression among younger grandparents in their fifties.
But among those in their sixties, there was a significant increase in risk – especially if the grandchildren were under six.
The researchers said: ‘For these people, taking care of grandchildren may put more emotional and physical pressure on them and take a lot of time and energy.
‘And caring for a grandchild may burden the caring grandparents financially, with older people facing financial problems due to retirement and reduced income.
‘This can aggravate depression.’
The results support previous studies which suggest babysitting can lead to marital strife among grandparents.
A 2020 study at the University of Massachusetts Boston found a key factor for this was grandmothers being left to do the bulk of the hard work – like feeding and bathing young children – while granddads instead focused on fun activities and play.
