The Slave-grandparent Syndrome And Its Consequences
Slave grandparent syndrome is a new disease of the 21st century. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes them as an abuse of the role of grandparents.
Of course, most grandparents love to be involved in the upbringing and care of their grandchildren. This makes them feel like parents again, but this time warmer and more loving.
Very often, as families grow, so does stress. The grandchildren are getting bigger and so are their needs. In addition, those who look after the children have to do more and more.
Grandparents in the 21st Century
In today’s society, family relationships and family structures have changed dramatically. Just a few decades ago it was perfectly normal to become a grandmother or grandfather before the age of 50. Today, however, many people do not become parents until later. Therefore, most of the grandparents are around 70 years old.
Undoubtedly, the relationships grandparents have with their grandchildren can be very different from one another. This depends on various factors, such as the relationship the grandparents had with their children, where they live, the attitudes of the children and also cultural factors play a role.
In some families, the grandparents play a very important role in the upbringing of their grandchildren. Depending on the family situation, your support is needed now and then or very often.
If the grandparents’ help is only needed occasionally or on specific occasions, it will not have a negative impact on their family life. However, it can certainly lead to great stress if they are used permanently for the upbringing of grandchildren.
What is slave grandparent syndrome?
Slave grandparent syndrome is a serious condition that can occur in men and women who are physically and emotionally overloaded. Hence, this situation causes serious and progressive mental and physical disturbances.
Cardiologist Antonio Guijarro also very often observes this syndrome in women who work as housewives. These women are very orderly, responsible, and humble.
The commitment of the grandparents
Psychologist Encarnación Liñán provides some answers to the question of why grandparents are so involved in raising their grandchildren and almost feeling like they are their own children.
For them, parenting and values are the main reasons grandparents feel responsible for continuing to support their grandchildren and their families. She also believes this is a way for grandparents to keep feeling useful and needed. Because older people often fear that they are useless and no longer needed in society.
What are the health effects of slave grandparent syndrome?
Encarnación Liñán names two types of health problems that can arise in slave-grandparent syndrome: physical and emotional.
Physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, tachycardia, hot flashes, dizziness and weakness can occur, which can lead to states of exhaustion.
In addition, emotional symptoms also appear. The grandparents feel bad overall. On the one hand, they are afraid if they cannot cope with a situation. On the other hand, they also feel sad and discouraged because they lack the necessary motivation. All of these feelings make them feel guilty for not feeling well. This only makes them suffer more.
Grandparents are a great support that you should take good care of
Nowadays there are various causes for the emergence of such overload situations in families. The economic crisis has meant that many families urgently need their grandparents as an economic resource.
Therefore , the grandparents are a great support for many families. Because it is much cheaper and more pleasant to leave the children with the grandparents while the parents work than to pay for external care.
Still, you should make sure that there is a healthy balance between the responsibilities and skills of the grandparents. This is the only way to prevent them from becoming physically and emotionally overloaded, as this would be detrimental to their health.
