Adult grandchildren's perception of grandparents' personality and emotional closeness with the grandparent

Abstract Objective This study aimed to examine adult grandchildren's perception of four grandparents' personality traits and how these perceptions, along with personality similarity to the grandparent, are related to emotional closeness. Background The relationships between adult grandchildren and their grandparents are becoming more prevalent and impactful in contemporary societies. Adult grandchildren's perception of the grandparents' personality can significantly influence how they maintain the relationship with each grandparent. Method We surveyed 184 Chinese adult grandchildren with at least one living grandparent ( M age = 19.27 years, SD age = 1.56) about their perception of grandparents' Big Five personality traits and emotional closeness with each grandparent. Results The results revealed that all four grandparents were perceived as high in conscientiousness, and the maternal grandmother was also perceived to be high in agreeableness. Grandparents' conscientiousness was also an important factor contributing to emotional closeness with all four grandparents. Interestingly, personality similarity to the grandparent was negatively associated with emotional closeness with the maternal grandmother. A marginally significant negative effect of personality similarity was also found for emotional closeness with the maternal grandfather, but only for grandsons. Conclusion and Implications These results reveal both similarities and differences in grandparents' perceived personality profiles across lineage. The findings also highlight the significance of grandparents' positive personality traits in sustaining a close relationship with adult grandchildren.