Wiese
Fakultäten » Philosophische Fakultät » Psychologisches Institut » Angewandte Psychologie » PD Dr. Bettina S. Wiese » Wiese
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | The transition to grandparenthood: How does it affect personal goals? | ||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | How do people shape their developmental trajectories? From a life-span perspective, development can be understood as lifelong adaptive processes. These processes are seen as being both proactive and reactive. In human development, critical life-events and role transitions mark phases of increased regulatory tasks. One important life transition experienced by many adults during late middle adulthood is the transition to grandparenthood. From the perspective of middle-aged adults, as shown in a cross-sectional study by Perrig-Chiello and Perren (2005) who compared the personal evaluation of different life transitions, the transition to grandparenthood, at least for women, had the most positive emotional valence (even more positive than the transition to motherhood). The main research question of the present project is how this transition affects the personal goal systems of the expectant and new grandparents. We are interested in the effects on family-related and work-related goals, which might change both in terms of contents and importance during this transition phase. It is planned to recruit middle-aged parents being or not being in the transition to grandparenthood (n = 100 prospective grandparents, n = 60 control group participants). Lineage to the grandchild (i.e., maternal or paternal relationship) will be balanced within the grandparenthood- group. The sample of expectant grandparents should be contacted in the daughter(-in-law)’s last trimester of pregnancy as well as about three to six months after childbirth. The comparison group of middle-aged adults not being in the transition to grandparenthood (and not being grandparents yet) will also be contacted twice. |
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| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | grandparenthood, transition, personal goals, work, family, lineage | ||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Foundation Stiftung für wissenschaftliche Forschung der Universität Zürich |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Jun 2009 to Apr 2011 |