Researchers in Britain have found that grandparents can help young children because they often have more time to spend with them than working parents, and they are also good at solving their problems and discussing their future plans.

In addition, grandparents can help keep children calm during crises such as their parents' divorce, the study found.

The researchers from Oxford University and Institute of Education, London, came to the conclusion after analysing a survey of 1,500 kids in Britain, leading newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported.

"What was especially interesting was the link between involved grandparents and adolescent well-being. Closeness was not enough: only grandparents who got stuck had this positive impact on their grandchildren," lead researcher Ann Buchanan of Oxford University was quoted as saying.

The survey revealed that one grandmother in three regularly looked after a grandchild.

The researchers encountered one teenager who claimed that his grandmother "taught us to read and write" and another whose grandparents discussed with him what universities he should apply to and what career to take.

A 12-year-old girl said her grandmother comforted her when she was being bullied at school. Grandparents who were healthy, lived in less-deprived areas and had regular contact with their grandchildren were found to have most involvement in their upbringing.