ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses grandparents in three major East Asian nations, such as, China, South Korea, and Japan. It describes the background of grandparenthood, psychological research about grandparenting, grandparents in cultural context, and social policy issues relevant to grandparents in each country. Self-control skills of granddaughters whose grandparents provided frequent childrearing support were stronger than whose grandparents provided low frequent support. The modern role of Japanese grandparents is not as autocratic family leaders, and they do not control parents' childrearing. Also as in Japan, the traditional family values of Korean society once included patriarchy, prioritization of family over individual family members, and a strict separation of gender roles. The social and economic context of Korean families includes several social factors that relate to childrearing by grandparents. Silverstein, Cong, and Li found in rural China that living with adult children and grandchildren was beneficial to grandparents in a psychological sense, and that the benefits extended to grandparents' health outcomes.
