Providing Grandchild Care in Later Life: Associations With Frailty, Depression, and Self-Neglect in Geriatric Outpatients

Grandchild care is a modern global phenomenon arising from increased life expectancy , and, correlated with the rest of the world, the Turkish Statistical Institute's report on aging states that the prevalence of grandchild caregiving in Türkiye is 9.7% . Therefore, the health impacts of grandchild caregiving on older adults are attracting increasing attention. Various studies have shown that grandchild caregiving has both potential benefits and burdens for older individuals. While caregiving can provide physical activity, purpose, and emotional rewards, it can also create stress, reduce autonomy, and limit social participation and self-care, which is a significant determinant of healthy aging. Frailty, a multidimensional geriatric syndrome, is associated with disability, hospitalization, and death and is potentially reversible if diagnosed early. Furthermore, depression is another significant geriatric syndrome in the elderly and is associated with mortality; although various studies have shown that grandchild caregiving reduces depressive symptoms, some have found no association between grandchild caregiving and depression. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between grandchild care and frailty, depression, and self-neglect in patients presenting to geriatrics outpatients