The impact of retirement on mental health.

After 2020, with Chinese baby boomers growing old, more and more working people will step into retirement. What kind of influence retirement behaviour will have on the mental health of the older adults and whether the existing findings of retirement on the mental health of the older adults are applicable to China's current conditions? The answers are related to the improvement of the well being of older adults and future policy orientation. Based on the China Family Tracking Survey data in 2016 and 2018, the paper employed the Ordinary Least Squares, Two Stage Least Squares, and Propensity Score Matching methods to investigate the effect of retirement on the mental health of older adults in China. Results show that retirement can significantly reduce the depression and has a positive impact on the their mental health, and no chronic diseases, poor economic status and shorter education years are conducive to improve mental health of the elderly. Further, the mechanisms differ between the sexes that while exercise is a positive mediator for both sexes, reading and family dinners are positive mediators for men but not for women.

[1]  S. Awaworyi Churchill,et al.  Income inequality and subjective wellbeing: Panel data evidence from China , 2020 .

[2]  J. Head,et al.  Mental Health Before and After Retirement—Assessing the Relevance of Psychosocial Working Conditions: The Whitehall II Prospective Study of British Civil Servants , 2019, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[3]  T. Lallukka,et al.  Changes in physical and mental health functioning during retirement transition: a register-linkage follow-up study , 2017, European journal of public health.

[4]  S. Stenholm,et al.  Does retirement benefit health? , 2017, Preventive medicine.

[5]  M. Cullen,et al.  The impact of retirement on health: quasi-experimental methods using administrative data , 2016, BMC Health Services Research.

[6]  P. Eibich.  Understanding the effect of retirement on health: Mechanisms and heterogeneity. , 2015, Journal of health economics.

[7]  S. Slavov,et al.  Does retirement improve health and life satisfaction? , 2015, Health economics.

[8]  N. H. Rod,et al.  Does retirement reduce the risk of mental disorders? A national registry-linkage study of treatment for mental disorders before and after retirement of 245 082 Danish residents , 2015, Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

[9]  Eun-Cheol Park,et al.  A change in social activity and depression among Koreans aged 45 years and more: analysis of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006–2010) , 2014, International Psychogeriatrics.

[10]  Michael Insler.  The Health Consequences of Retirement , 2014, The Journal of Human Resources.

[11]  A. Burdorf,et al.  Is retirement good for your health? A systematic review of longitudinal studies , 2013, BMC Public Health.

[12]  D. Yeung.  Is pre-retirement planning always good? An exploratory study of retirement adjustment among Hong Kong Chinese retirees , 2013, Aging & mental health.

[13]  K. Henkens,et al.  Late-career work disengagement: the role of proximity to retirement and career experiences. , 2013, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[14]  O. Pietiläinen,et al.  Trajectories of mental health before and after old-age and disability retirement: a register-based study on purchases of psychotropic drugs. , 2012, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[15]  M. Jokela,et al.  Effect of retirement on major chronic conditions and fatigue: French GAZEL occupational cohort study , 2010, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[16]  David Gimeno,et al.  From Midlife to Early Old Age: Health Trajectories Associated With Retirement , 2010, Epidemiology.

[17]  D. Johnston,et al.  Retiring to the good life? The short-term effects of retirement on health , 2009 .

[18]  M. Lindeboom,et al.  Tilburg University Does Retirement Kill You ? Evidence from Early Retirement Windows , 2008 .

[19]  Norma B Coe,et al.  Retirement Effects on Health in Europe , 2008, Journal of health economics.

[20]  R. Widmer,et al.  The effect of retirement on health: a panel analysis using data from the Swiss Household Panel. , 2007, Swiss medical weekly.

[21]  B. Roe,et al.  Job Loss, Retirement and the Mental Health of Older Americans , 2007, The journal of mental health policy and economics.

[22]  D. Melzer,et al.  Retirement and mental health: analysis of the Australian national survey of mental health and well-being. , 2006, Social science & medicine.

[23]  A. Davey,et al.  Retirement transitions and spouse disability: effects on depressive symptoms. , 2004, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[24]  O. Nuttman-Shwartz.  Like a high wave: adjustment to retirement. , 2004, The Gerontologist.

[25]  J. Nazroo,et al.  The effects of pre-retirement factors and retirement route on circumstances in retirement: findings from the Whitehall II study , 2004, Ageing and Society.

[26]  M. Marmot,et al.  Is retirement good or bad for mental and physical health functioning? Whitehall II longitudinal study of civil servants , 2003, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[27]  P. Drentea.  Retirement and Mental Health , 2002, Journal of aging and health.

[28]  W. Rosamond,et al.  Influence of retirement on leisure-time physical activity: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study. , 2002, American journal of epidemiology.

[29]  Lawrence R. Lepisto,et al.  Applying Work-Role Attachment Theory to Retirement Decision-Making , 2002, International journal of aging & human development.

[30]  D. Reitzes,et al.  Does retirement hurt well-being? Factors influencing self-esteem and depression among retirees and workers. , 1996, The Gerontologist.

[31]  P. Moen,et al.  A life course perspective on retirement, gender, and well-being. , 1996, Journal of occupational health psychology.

[32]  Blair Wheaton,et al.  Life Transitions, Role Histories, and Mental Health. , 1990 .

[33]  R. Atchley.  A continuity theory of normal aging. , 1989, The Gerontologist.

[34]  M. Minkler.  Research on the health effects of retirement: an uncertain legacy. , 1981, Journal of health and social behavior.

[35]  Gabriel Heller‐Sahlgren.  Retirement Blues , 2016, Journal of health economics.

[36]  Jürgen Maurer,et al.  Time to burn (calories)? The impact of retirement on physical activity among mature Americans. , 2016, Journal of health economics.

[37]  G. Blashki,et al.  Case Studies of Mental Health in General Practice (29)—Mental Health Side Effects of Medications , 2015 .

[38]  C. Aldwin,et al.  How stressful is retirement? Findings from the Normative Aging Study. , 1991, Journal of gerontology.

[39]  R. Salokangas,et al.  Physical and mental health changes in retirement age. , 1991, Psychotherapy and psychosomatics.

[40]  V. Portnoi.  Postretirement depression: myth or reality. , 1983, Comprehensive therapy.