A Comprehensive Mapping of Intergenerational Caregiving: A Scoping Review of Dyadic and Family Caregiving

ABSTRACT Families remain central to later‐life support, yet evidence on intergenerational caregiving is fragmented across dyads, generations, and cultural contexts. This scoping review maps how caregiving is organized and negotiated across structural, associational, affectual, functional, consensual, and normative dimensions. Following PRISMA‐ScR and Arksey and O’Malley's framework, seven databases and Google Scholar were searched. Eligible studies reported empirical findings on care exchanged between family members of different generations, sampled at dyadic, triadic, or family levels, and published in English since 2000. Data were charted to Intergenerational Solidarity dimensions and intergenerational ambivalence and synthesized using a framework approach. Forty‐nine studies met criteria, largely qualitative and Western. Proximity and co‐residence structured caregiving intensity, while distance prompted mediated contact, remittances, rotational arrangements, and formal services. Care flows were multidirectional and networked, moderated by affectual climate and consensual governance. Policy should recognize caregiving as networked and multidirectional, while research must broaden samples and adopt longitudinal designs.