A casa dos avós: O papel do contacto com os avós nas perceções idadistas de crianças do ensino básico

There is evidence that children from the age of six already share the paternalistic conception of older people as "doddering but dear". In an innovative way, this research aims to study this theme in the Portuguese context, seeking to explore the role of frequency and quality of contact with grandparents as a way of diminishing these negative representations. To that end, 145 elementary school children (M = 12.14; SD = 0.81) responded to an inquiry to explore the relationship between these variables. According to the hypothesis, the results revealed a high degree of contact with grandparents and a significant effect of the frequency and the quality of the contact in the decrease of ageism towards older people. These results are discussed in light of their implications for theory and intervention in this area of crucial relevance in today's demographic context.