Chinese grandparents and grandchildren formed strong intergenerational connections rooted in the long Confucian ethics and patrilineal descent system. However, the rapid changes in contemporary Chinese society impacted the traditional family norms, shifting the family structure, relations, and women’s status. The present dissertation explores the demographic influence on the Chinese grandparent-grandchild relationship and the grandparents’ role in the parent-child relationship. Six hundred twenty-five Chinese adolescents reported their perceived parental control and relationship with grandparents. Path analysis and multiple group path models were employed to test for the effect of family demographics on the grandparent-grandchild relationship and gender differences in the first study. The findings revealed a negative association between the number of grandchildren and the father-side grandparent-grandchild relationship, a positive association between co-resident length and the grandparent-grandchild relationship, and a positive association between grandparents’ educational level and their school involvement. In addition, the multiple-group models found that the gender of grandchildren moderated the demographic effects on the grandparent-grandchild relationship, including the effects of 1) paternal grandfathers’ ages on paternal grandfather leisure activities, 2) maternal grandfather co-resident length on maternal grandfather contact and communication, and 3) maternal grandmothers’ educational levels on maternal grandmother school involvement, which reflected the son-preference mindset of Chinese grandparents.Informed by the reviewed literature, I proposed a cycle of parental control and adolescent anxiety in the second study. Based on the same sample, the study examined and confirmed the moderating role of grandparental involvement in the relationship between parental psychological control and adolescent school-related anxiety and stress. The moderation effects include: 1) paternal grandfather leisure activities moderating the effect of paternal psychological control on adolescent stress of peer pressure, 2) paternal grandmother leisure activities moderating the effect of paternal psychological control on adolescent stress of peer pressure, 3) maternal grandfather school involvement moderating the effect of maternal psychological control on academic anxiety, 4) maternal grandfather emotional closeness moderating the effect of maternal psychological control on adolescent stress of school performance, 5) maternal grandfather leisure activities moderating the effect of maternal psychological control on adolescent stress of teacher interaction, 6) maternal grandmother leisure activities moderating the effect of maternal psychological control on adolescent stress of teacher interaction, and 7) maternal grandmother functional support and caretaking moderating the effect of maternal psychological control on adolescent stress of teacher interaction. Three-way interactions among parental psychological control, grandparent-grandchild relations, and gender were examined. Multiple-group models also identified the gender of grandchildren as a moderator in the intergenerational relations, which, again, implied the mindset of son-preference. Implications for understanding contemporary Chinese intergenerational relationships, future research directions, and policymaking promoting gender equity are discussed.
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