Grandparents who provide a lot of childcare are more likely to suffer from signs of depression.

That's one of the findings from a study completed at Trinity College Dublin.

Researchers looked at the experiences of 7,500 older people for this work, which is due to be presented at a major conference in New York during the summer.

According to the Irish Independent, around 60 per cent of them looked after their grandchildren at some point in the previous month.

Those who provided more than 60 hours of childminding in a month reported significantly more depressive symptoms.

Researchers said the increase in symptoms was mostly seen in those who had lower 'educational attainment', and observed that grandparents with higher levels of education, and with their own social or leisure activities were less likely to suffer from the signs of depression.

The findings are also said to contradict the image that all grandparents have the same level of abilities and interest in providing care for their grandchildren.

Virpi Timonen, professor at the School of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity, spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning about the report: