Psychosocial profiles of early retirees based on experiences during post-working life transition and adjustment to retirement (original) (raw)
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Postponing Job Retirement? Psychosocial Influences on the Planning of Work Career Exit
2007
Purpose -The study seeks to investigate individual preference for early or late retirement. The aim is to determine the impact that variables at personal, work and organizational, and retirement-related levels exert on such preference. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire was submitted to 275 Italian workers, aged from 45 to 63. The "preferred" and "expected" retirement ages were measured, and a preference for retiring before or after the expected age was computed. The questionnaire included personal (e.g. age, income), work and organizational (e.g. work importance, job demands and control), and retirement-related variables (level of information on pensions and attitudes to retirement). Hierarchical multiple regressions analyses were conducted to test the impact of such variables on the preference for early or late retirement. Findings -The results show a significant preference for retiring on average three years before the expected age. The preference for postponing retirement is related to chronological age and perception of income adequacy, but also to work variables (work importance, firm policies supporting aged employees) and attitudes to retirement. Practical implications -Political and organizational strategies concerning old employees should take into account the widespread preference for early retirement. It is, however, possible to encourage late retirement by developing interventions aiming to meliorate working conditions, organizational perceptions and retirement attitudes. Originality/value -The difference between preferred and expected retirement age may be useful to identify employees preferring late retirement. It is also suggested that certain psychosocial factors are related to such preference. This knowledge is relevant for European policies encouraging employees to stay longer in the workforce.
Journal of Applied Gerontology, 2013
The main aim of the present study was to explore different patterns of retirement satisfaction. Following the dynamic model of job satisfaction, we identify different retirement satisfaction forms. We also examined a set of antecedents of observed retirement satisfaction forms and their impact on psychological well-being. Using a sample of 270 Spanish retirees, cluster analytical results showed four retirement satisfaction forms. These were: stabilizedprogressive, resigned-stabilized and resigned retirement satisfaction and constructive-fixated retirement dissatisfaction. Gender, retirement intentions, and voluntariness of retirement transition predicted retirement satisfaction forms. Finally, our findings showed that participants experiencing constructive-fixated retirement dissatisfaction reported lower psychological well-being compared to participants from stabilized-progressive and resignedstabilized retirement satisfaction forms. These findings provide preliminary support for the study of retirement satisfaction from the dynamic perspective and call for more research on this issue. The findings could also imply the potential value of attending to retirement transition factors to achieve better adjustment to retirement.
Psychosocial factors in retirement intentions and adjustment: a multi-sample study
Purpose – Retirement adjustment is the process by which aged workers become accustomed to the changed facts of life in the transition from work to retirement and develop psychological well-being in their post-working life. The purpose of this paper is to explore the psychosocial factors that significantly explain retirement intentions and retirement adjustment, using two separate empirical studies. Design/methodology/approach – Retirement self-efficacy, low work involvement, older worker identity and relative deprivation significantly explained retirement intentions (bridge employment engagement, part-time retirement, late retirement and full retirement) of workers over 60 years (Study 1, n1⁄4157). Retirement adjustment indices (retirement satisfaction, feelings of anxiety and depression) were associated with psychosocial factors for retirees (Study 2, n 1⁄4 218). Findings – The findings highlight that retirement self-efficacy and older worker identity positively and significantly explained both full retirement of aged workers and retirement satisfaction of retirees. Relative deprivation negatively significantly explained partial and late retirement intentions and retirement satisfaction of retirees. Research limitations/implications – The implications of these studies are discussed for understanding retirement planning and counselling practice. Practical implications – Retirement adjustment conceptualized as a process has important implications for retirement planning, and consequently can influence the project of the life course, as well as career’s decisions. Social implications – Social contexts should consider all factors that can negatively affect self-efficacy, work involvement and identity of employees in the mid and late-career stages, and thus contribute to reinforce and strengthen personal and psychosocial resources involved in planning and adaptation to retirement, and to increase the insight into the planning and decisions older workers make to face retirement. Originality/value – This work had two goals, pursued by two empirical studies with two samples: workers over 60 years, and retirees. The authors contend that the availability of two different sets of data increases the generalizability of the findings.
This cross-sectional study examines three predictors of retirement adjustment: individual (demographic and health), psychosocial (work centrality), and organizational (conditions of workforce exit). It also examines the effect of work centrality on post-retirement activity levels. Survey data was collected from 394 retirees (aged 45-93 years). Results suggested that better psychological health, higher income, and being married predicted better retirement adjustment. Work centrality was neither related to retirement adjustment nor to post-retirement activity levels. Conditions of exit significantly predicted retirement adjustment, even after controlling for lower-level individual and psychosocial influences. Practical implications for the design of retirement planning programs and organizational exit strategies are discussed.
How are psychosocial factors related to retirement intentions?
International Journal of Manpower, 2010
Purpose -This study aims to explore the psycho-social factors (i.e. older worker identity, development opportunities on the job, anticipation of lost social integration upon retirement) related to three types of retirement intention (i.e. full retirement, part-time retirement, job mobility). Design/methodology/approach -A representative sample of 196 workers aged 50 and over employed in an Italian public-sector organization completed a research questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested by using structural equation models. Findings -The results showed that: the older-worker identity was related positively to full retirement intention and negatively to job mobility; development opportunity on the job was negatively related to the full retirement intention; the anticipation of lost social integration upon retirement was positively related to the intention to take part-time retirement and job mobility. Research limitations/implications -There are several limitations to the study: the cross-sectional design; use of single items; the fact that the findings can be generalized only to the organization in which the study was conducted. Practical implications -Retirement preparation programs should consider the various factors that affect the transition from work to retirement and which may facilitate prior planning by both the individual and the organization. Originality/value -Expanding previous research studies, the study considers the complexity of preparation for retirement transition by exploring different types of retirement intentions and the psychosocial factors related to them.
Impact of Different Types of Retirement Transitions on Perceived Satisfaction with Life
The Gerontologist, 2014
Purpose: This study examines how life satisfaction changes as a function of the transition into retirement, distinguishing between different types of voluntary and involuntary exits. Design and Methods: Perceived satisfaction with life (SWL) was measured among 1,388 older Dutch workers on two occasions, separated by 6 years. During that time, more than half of participants (54%) left full-time employment and entered retirement. Results: Those who made a voluntarily departure from the workforce reported higher levels of perceived SWL compared with those who remained employed, whereas the life satisfaction scores of those whose departure was involuntary (due to health reasons, organizational reasons) were found to be the lowest. Other factors that had an effect on satisfaction included positive and negative health changes experienced during the 6-year interim, as well as changes in marital status due to divorce or loss of a spouse. Implications: These findings have important theoretical implications for the understanding of factors that shape individuals' perceptions of how they view the quality of their lives. From an applied perspective, the findings have implications for the development of organizational initiatives aimed at helping workers transition into retirement in such a way as to maintain high levels of subjective well-being.
Postponing job retirement?: Psychosocial influences on the preference for early or late retirement
Career Development International, 2008
Purpose -The study seeks to investigate individual preference for early or late retirement. The aim is to determine the impact that variables at personal, work and organizational, and retirement-related levels exert on such preference. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire was submitted to 275 Italian workers, aged from 45 to 63. The "preferred" and "expected" retirement ages were measured, and a preference for retiring before or after the expected age was computed. The questionnaire included personal (e.g. age, income), work and organizational (e.g. work importance, job demands and control), and retirement-related variables (level of information on pensions and attitudes to retirement). Hierarchical multiple regressions analyses were conducted to test the impact of such variables on the preference for early or late retirement. Findings -The results show a significant preference for retiring on average three years before the expected age. The preference for postponing retirement is related to chronological age and perception of income adequacy, but also to work variables (work importance, firm policies supporting aged employees) and attitudes to retirement. Practical implications -Political and organizational strategies concerning old employees should take into account the widespread preference for early retirement. It is, however, possible to encourage late retirement by developing interventions aiming to meliorate working conditions, organizational perceptions and retirement attitudes. Originality/value -The difference between preferred and expected retirement age may be useful to identify employees preferring late retirement. It is also suggested that certain psychosocial factors are related to such preference. This knowledge is relevant for European policies encouraging employees to stay longer in the workforce.
BMC Public Health, 2013
Background: Due to the aging of the population and subsequent higher pressure on public finances, there is a need for employees in many European countries to extend their working lives. One way in which this can be achieved is by employees refraining from retiring early. Factors predicting early retirement have been identified in quantitative research, but little is known on why and how these factors influence early retirement. The present qualitative study investigated which non-health related factors influence early retirement, and why and how these factors influence early retirement. Methods: A qualitative study among 30 Dutch employees (60-64 years) who retired early, i.e. before the age of 65, was performed by means of face-to-face interviews. Participants were selected from the cohort Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (STREAM).