Relationships among adolescents\u27 ego development, their academic achievement, and the amount of their contact with and social distance from grandparents

Research on the relationship between, and the contributions of grandparents to grandchild is scarce. This study investigates the amount of contact and social distance adolescents have with their grandparents and the relations of these to ego development, and academic achievement. A sample of 75 adolescents from a middle to upper class suburban New York high school responded to questions about themselves and their relationship with their grandparents. It was hypothesized that adolescents who feel closer to their grandparents and have more contact with them would have higher levels of ego development and higher grades than adolescents with less frequent contact who experience greater distance. Pearson r correlations were used to assess the relationship between these four variables. It was found that monthly contact and less distance from the paternal grandfather related to higher grade point averages for males and females. Adolescent males who feel close to their maternal grandfathers have higher ego development than those who feel more distant. Several additional hypotheses were supported, namely: grandchildren project themselves closer to maternal versus paternal grandparents; grandchildren are closest to grandmothers versus grandfathers whether maternal or paternal; and appear closest of all to their maternal grandmothers. Implications for further study are addressed