Centre for Applied Psychology Chairperson (CAP) Dr Gan Su Wan was recently invited by AiFM radio station to share her expertise on “Grandparenting and Its Effects on Elderly and Children” at Wisma Radio Angkasapuri, Kuala Lumpur on 28 August 2019.

Shedding light on the reciprocal effects of grandparents-grandchildren contact, the sharing session also saw Dr Gan imparting insightful information on ways to manage the relationship between parents and grandparents.

“Grandparents play the roles of parent helpers and the children’s caregivers. In that role, they provide care and support to their grandchildren on a regular basis. In addition to that, their role also sees the transmission of social values and cultural beliefs to the next generation. Through positive interactions with their grandchildren, the elderly gained emotional support and have reported that their life is more meaningful. From their grandparents, the children also learn ways to interact with the elderly in a respectable manner. Therefore, grandparental childcare is important as it is also considered a support system for the children’s emotional and physical development,” explained Dr Gan.

She added, “It is interesting for the target audience, who also consists of grandparents and parents, to understand the contributions of the elderly to the family. For the grandparents, they are also to find a balance in providing warm nurturing care, while also avoiding being overprotective towards the children. It is also important for the elderly to establish good communication with the parents to achieve common understanding when disciplining and guiding the children. It will also be helpful for the elderly to listen and understand the children’s parents’ views, and be tactful and respectful. On the other hand, the children’s parents should also keep an open mind with the comments given by the elderly and not to criticise it. It is also important for the parents to be aware of not making complaints about the elderly in front of the children and maintain good communication with the elderly.”

While the sharing session benefitted listeners by providing them with an understanding of the elderly’s contribution to the positive family functioning, Dr Gan also mentioned that the sharing session was a good platform for herself, as a researcher and academic to share research findings and gain experience.

Click the link to view the full session: https://www.facebook.com/AiFM.Malaysia/videos/2717963044921754/

CAP was also awarded the “UTAR Most Improved Research Centre” Award for its excellent research performance in the field of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. The centre was awarded in the UTAR Annual Excellence Awards 2018, held on 24 July 2019. The centre also published a book titled “Reflections of Social Issues & Malaysian Adolescents”. The book aimed to assist parents in understanding their children and to guide adolescents to know themselves better. The centre’s focused research area include Educational Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Industrial/Organisational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Social and Cultural Psychology, and Cognitive Psychology/Neuroscience.