An Intergenerational Approach to Perinatal Mental Health: Bringing in Grandparents

A Conversation with PSI Founder Jane Honikman, MS

“All generations deserve social support from conception through grandparenthood. The postpartum movement is a success story. Parental mental health networks are in place; however, most do not yet include fathers, non-birth parents, and grandparents. They should be embraced by existing programs and services and acknowledge that postpartum is forever.”
-Jane Honkiman, Postpartum is Forever, 2022

Postpartum Support International (PSI) is working to increase support and resources for grandparents, fathers, partners, and family friends affected by perinatal mental health challenges (or that of a loved one). From your perspective, why is this so important?

My vision for PSI has always been inclusive of the entire family, partners, friends, and community. Change impacts everyone, everywhere. Social support is not gender or age-specific. It begins with conception and continues through grandparenthood. Pregnancy, birth, and the transition to parenthood do not happen in isolation. It is the essence of life. It cannot be expressed enough how important and fundamental it is. From the beginning of time, from generation to generation, humans reproduce and survive because of one another, and I believe that postpartum is forever.

You have volunteered as PSI’s specialized support coordinator for grandparents. Will you share with us some of the things you hear from grandparents, time and time again?

PSI rarely hears from grandparents. The few calls that I have received express the same stress and emotions that new parents have: isolation, role confusion, lack of resources, depression and anxiety, conflict with the new parents, alienation, grief and loss, disappointment, and feeling disrespected. I have heard from professionals who are seeking resources on behalf of their clients/patients. Unfortunately, I have few to share with them.

Based on your experience, what does support for grandparents look like? For example, is it an online support group, similar to those we offer to new parents? Is it a Chat for Grandparents open call, similar to the Chat with an Expert we offer for moms and dads? Does support for grandparents look wholly different?

Before I started PSI, I co-founded Postpartum Education for Parents, PEP. The first time I took a call from a new parent was on July 1, 1977. Through PSI, the most recent one-on-one support I gave for new grandparents was on March 19, 2026. In both instances, I provided empathy, guidance, reassurance, and comfort. At the end of both calls, they expressed the same appreciation because I shared my own experiences. They said, “You made it.” Since 1977, technology has improved communication and allowed PSI to expand its services. Today, because parents have requested it, they can receive specialized support. The challenge for PSI is to ask what grandparents want. Without a needs assessment, PSI cannot know what to offer this population. There isn’t going to be a “one size fits all” answer. I view this as an exciting opportunity.

How does ageism play a role in grandparenthood? How can building strong intergenerational relationships help?

Ageism is the stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination against individuals or groups based on their chronological age. It can involve unfair treatment and negative attitudes. How elders are perceived and treated varies from culture to culture. Anthropology research describes the essential role of grandmothers. The expression “mother the new mother” ensured lactation. It is postulated that humans have survived only by living in multi-generational groups. The expression “it takes a village to raise a child” is derived from this fact. Today, our Western perception of family support and assistance has changed. Is this a result of ageism? Perhaps, or has the medical model of expertise interrupted cultural practices and replaced the wisdom from previous generations?

You are working on a new project! Tell us about From Generation to Generation, a workbook designed to build bridges between the generations.

Grandparents are the parents of mothers and fathers. From Generation to Generation complements my book Postpartum Is Forever, Social Support from Conception through Grandparenthood. It may be a part of one’s life course and an extension of parenthood. Becoming a grandparent is based on fertility and life expectancy. They can be genetically linked to their offspring or through remarriage, adoption or infertility. It is about aging and birthing another generation.

The goal of the Workbook is to acknowledge the importance and impact that a pregnancy has on intergenerational connections. It is designed to:

1. Explore one’s family history and learn about gaps in the past.
2. Enhance our understanding of the relationships between the generations.
3. Encourage dialogue to seek comfort, encouragement, and guidance.
4. Include grandparents. Inclusion requires adaptation of the underlying attitudes towards those to be included and adaptive changes in the system in which they engage.
5. Confront the challenges and barriers. The vision of From Generation to Generation is to create gender and age-inclusive support networks for all expectant and new families.

From Generation to Generation’s philosophy is that there are no gender or age limits for needing, giving, providing, and receiving emotional support. The perinatal period begins with conception and extends for a lifetime. It is the ideal time to engage individuals from different generations and cultures to discuss the past, discover secrets, and develop a common ground in their families’ future. Sometimes grandparenthood is welcome. Other times, it is a surprise and a shock. It can cause emotional pain or reveal unhealed trauma and secrets. There are turning points in every generation that should be revealed and discussed.

This begins with conversations in a nonjudgmental environment through dialogue and discussion, where questions are asked, and solutions are probed to implement changes in one’s own self, community, and clinical practice.

What else would you like to share with us about support for grandparents or the importance of intergenerational connection?

Training is paramount. In the 1970s, the founders of PEP wrote a volunteer training curriculum. That training continues today. In the 1990s, I initiated the PSI training. In 2014, I authored the book I’m Listening. It is the foundation to accurately expand support, comfort, and guidance for the entire family. What began as a “mothers-only focus” then expanded to fathers and must now include grandparents. Currently, I am the only PSI volunteer taking calls from grandparents. This needs to change. It is my vision that PSI becomes a full-life cycle, intergenerational organization because I know that postpartum is forever.

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Interview conducted by Postpartum Support International’s Samantha Reaves, MA, PMH-C.

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Explore these PSI Resources:   

Specialized Support Resources
Postpartum Planning Class
Learn More about Perinatal Mental Health
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