Grandparents have become an important source of support for current families. Two expressions of generativity are the care provided to grandchild/ren and the values transmitted. Little data have examined how intergenerational relationships affect to grandparents’ generativity and well-being. This study explored the relationship between grandparents’ psychological well-being, socializing values and styles, and adult children’s gratitude. Based on the Generativity Model of Chen (2009), we hypothesized that the influence on the grandparents’ well-being of the values they desire to transmit to their grandchild/ren (generative concerns) would be mediated by their socializing styles (generative acts), and adult children’s gratitude (perception of recipient’s attitude). Grandparents’ socializing styles would also influence their well-being mediated by their adult children’s gratitude. This study consisted of 300 grandparents from Madrid (Spain), with grandchild/ren aged 6–12 years old. Participants’ mean age was 71.55 (SD=7.32) and 56% were women. Excellent model fit was found using Path Analysis (χ2=51.77; p=.26; CFI=.98; TLI=.98; RMSEA=.02). Personal and relationship values predicted participants’ psychological well-being mediated by socializing styles (democratic and liberal styles) and adult children’s gratitude. A direct influence of the abilities and knowledge values on psychological well-being, which had not been hypothesized in the original model, was found. No significant associations between authoritarian style and well-being were found, once other variables were considered. These results highlight that grandparents’ engagement in generative acts positively affect their well-being, especially when adult children express gratitude for the help provided by grandparents. This suggests the need to promote intergenerational shared activities and positive family interactions.
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