Transcript Affective well-being in retirement: The influence of

Retirement and
Disability
Andrew Burr, Ph.D.
Ronald Seatter, Ph.D., C. Psych
Seatter Health
www.seatterhealth.ca
October 1, 2010
Overall goals for today
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Major psychological adjustment issues facing
retirees in general
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Particular challenges faced by those with a
disability
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Especially if disability is the cause for involuntary
retirement
Imagine your retirement ...
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What does “not working” look like for you?
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Picture your busy days that you spend now
Imagine your life without the structure of work
What kinds of dreams and plans do you have?
Who will you be without your job?
How long will you live in “retirement?”
Imagine that you must suddenly re-paint that picture in
your mind because life suddenly changed
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Injury; Illness; Chronic pain; Psychiatric disability
Impact on finances
Impact on partner
Impact on social network, family, friends
Impact on activities
Impact on sense of identity
Outline
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What is retirement?
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How do people respond to retirement in general?
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Review of current disability-related retirement research
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My research on retirement
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Involuntary retirement
Values, health, finances
Subjective well-being
Clinical and policy implications
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What kind of support is needed for those experiencing
involuntary retirement due to disability?
Retirement
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Why is it an important issue?
1) Baby boom cohort (born 1946-1964)
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2) Advances in health and medicine
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Oldest of the boomers turned 60 in 2006
Proportion of retirees in western society will rise dramatically in
coming years.
Increased life expectancy
Longer time spent in retirement stage than every in history
3) Major transition in adult lifespan
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Affects social and physical worlds
Changes in roles, relationships, daily routines
Shifts in income, health
Challenge of detaching from work and establishing new lifestyle
Navigating a new context for marriage/partnership: a “relational
transition”
Defining Retirement
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Not as easy as “the end of work”
Policies vary from country to country
Some degree of withdrawal from the workforce at the tail
end of a career of work
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Debatable: Age, length of career, extent of withdrawal (partial or
complete) necessary to be considered “retired”
Can be self-defined status (subjective)
Can be based on objective criteria:
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over specific age, out of labor force specified amount of time;
receiving certain percentage of total income from retirementincome sources
Evolving definitions
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Traditional:
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Idea of retirement as the end of employment and the beginning
of receiving pension benefits
Current reality: retirement represents a wide range o
situations
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“Blurred” exits from the workforce
• Multiple entrances and exits from workforce
• Combinations of part-time work and retirement
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Canadian policy: (Stone, 2006)
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Policy changes are beginning to give people the choice to work
later in life
No mandatory retirement in Canada (several provinces passed
laws between 2006 - present to eliminate mandatory retirement
at age 65: Ontario did this in 2006)
Core features of retirement
(Bowlby, 2007)
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1) Retirement is a process of withdrawing from
the workplace rather than a discrete event
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2) retirement does not necessarily mean
economic inactivity
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3) people of a relatively young age should not be
considered “retired”
Canadian Statistics
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Statistics Canada Survey:
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Defined retirement as over age 50, not having worked
in past year, and self-reporting retirement as the
reason for not working
Median age: 61
In 1970’s: age 65 was more typical
In 80’s and 90’s: retirement age began dropping in
conjunction with public sector early retirement
incentives (Bowlby, 2007).
Retirement and well-being
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Free time without pressure to work
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Early retirement research (Atchley, 1976)
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Increase well being? Not necessarily (Kim & Moen, 2002)
On one hand: moving out of demanding and stressful career
On other hand: loss of occupational attachments, loss of social
network of co-workers, loss of major anchor for identity
Retirees tend to move through stages of adaptation
Honeymoon phase
Disenchantment
Re-orientation
New stability
Subsequent research:
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But: Complexity and variability in retirement adaptation process
Types of responses to
retirement
(Hanson & Wapner, 1994)
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Transition to old age
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A new beginning
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A time to energetically pursue long-awaited goals
Continuation
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a time to wind down, reflect, rest, put one’s life in order
Continuing with valued activities in less pressured manner
Imposed Disruption
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Losing part of the self as a result of forced retirement
A heterogeneous transition
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Most recent research:
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No typical response to retirement
A non-uniform transition
A crisis for some, a relief for others
Adjustment depends on position in the process
Impact of retirement depends on a host of contextual
and psychological factors
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Economic resources
Personal resources
Social-relational resources
Factors impacting well-being
in retirement
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Access to key resources
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Characteristics of the transition
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Involuntary or voluntary
Type of job from which people retire
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Finances, health, and marital relationship
Physically demanding or intrinsically interesting
Expectations about retirement
 Age at retirement
 Duration of retirement
 Gender
 Quality of social relationships with spouse and family
 Personality characteristics
 Spousal employment status
Factors impacting well-being
in retirement
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Access to key resources
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Characteristics of the transition
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Involuntary or voluntary
Type of job from which people retire
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Finances, health, and marital relationship
Physically demanding or intrinsically interesting
Expectations about retirement
Age at retirement
Duration of retirement
Gender
Quality of social relationships with spouse and family
Personality characteristics
Spousal employment status
Involuntary retirement
(Shultz, Morton, & Weckerle, 1998)
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A substantial portion of retirees view their
retirement as forced or involuntary (20-30%)
 Studied a sample of nearly 1000 Americans of
retirement age
 Compared to those whose retirement was
voluntary, those who perceive their retirement as
forced or involuntary:
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Lower self-ratings of physical and emotional health
Lower satisfaction with life and retirement
(Shultz, Morton, & Weckerle, 1998)
Involuntary retirement
(van Solinge & Henkens, 2008)
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Involuntary retirement = loss = more psychological stress
Planned retirement = relief = less stress
1600 retired adults in Netherlands
Measured changes in health behaviors (drinking,
smoking, physical activity)
For involuntary retirees: negative changes in health
behaviors (more drinking and smoking)
For voluntary retirees: positive changes in health
behaviors (less drinking and smoking)
Good news: both groups increased physical activity
Conclusion: Heightened risk of potentially unhealthy
behavior associated with unplanned retirement
Involuntary retirement
(Scinovacz & Davies, 2005)
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Studied sample of over 1000 retirees in USA
 Explored perceptions of forced retirement
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1/3 perceived retirement as forced
Explored many possible reasons for “forced”
retirement (health, job displacement, care obligations)
Leaving work as a result of illness: primary predictor
of perceiving retirement as “involuntary”
Involuntary retirement
(Szinovazc & Davies, 2004)
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Investigated types of retirement (forced, early, abrupt)
and spousal disability on change in depressive
symptoms over time in over 2000 US retirees
When retirement is abrupt and perceived as too early or
forced:
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Generally, increase in depressive symptoms
For women who perceived retirement as forced or too early, and
who had a disabled spouse:
• Increase in depressive symptoms
• No similar effect for men with disabled partner
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For those who retired gradually and “on-time” and who had a
disabled spouse:
• Decrease in depressive symptoms
Involuntary retirement
(Swan, Dame, & Carmelli, 1991)
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Explored whether Type A male personalities are more
prone to involuntary retirement
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Type A: ambitious, aggressive, determined to control the
environment
Less likely to retire voluntarily as a result of need for
competitiveness in work place
Sample of over 100 male retirees: Assessed in 1960 and 1986
Type A’s in 1960 were more likely to have experienced an
“involuntary retirement” by 1986
Regardless of personality type, those who experienced
involuntary retirement tended to:
• Have poorer adjustment to retirement
• More illness and poorer physical health status
• More depressive symptoms
Disability and depression in
pre-retirement adults
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Dunlop et al., 2005
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Disability: limitations in Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
• Inability to perform functional tasks at personal level
• Inability to dress, toilet, bathe, eat, walk across room, get in
and out of bed
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Over 6000 participants, age 54-65
Assessed in 1996 and 1998
Included only those with no ADL disability in 1996
Examined depression as a predictor of the
development of an ADL disability two years later
Disability and depression in
pre-retirement adults
Dunlop et al., 2005 (cont’d)
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Among US adults aged 54-65:
• 1 in 10 depressed adults developed an ADL disability over
two years
• This is a high disability rate among a relatively young
population
• Depression increased the odds of developing an ADL
disability across racial/ethnic groups:
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Risk was double for African American compared to White
Dunlop et al., 2005
Dunlop et al., 2005
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What explains the link between depression and
onset of ADL disability in older adults?
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Chronic illnesses
• arthritis, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung
disease, obesity)
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Functional limitations
• Difficulty/avoidace of four physical tasks:
• walking / lifting / stairs / moving large objects
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“These results point to the importance of treating
depression in all adults to prevent the
development of disability”
Summary thus far
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There is no typical response to retirement
 Adjustment depends on many variables
 Involuntary retirement:
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More depressive symptoms
More health problems
Poorer adjustment
Lower satisfaction in retirement
Illness is the most common reason for involuntary
retirement
My research
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Burr, A., Santo, J. B., & Pushkar, D. (2009).
Affective well-being in retirement: The influence
of values, money, and health across three years.
Journal of Happiness Studies. DOI 10.1007/s10902009-9173-2
Imagine these retirees …
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A person for whom it is important to help others and care for nature
A person for whom it is important to conform to rules and maintain
religious traditions
A person for whom it is important to seek excitement, novelty,
creativity, independence
A person for whom it is important to seek status, wealth, admiration,
and success
Now ask yourself…
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Who among them is happy?
 Would their happiness depend on their health?
 Would their happiness depend on how much
money they have?
 Would their priorities help them to stay happy
even if they had health problems or financial
struggles?
Affective well-being for
retirees
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Health and finances are important
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Retirement as a shift from structured to unstructured time
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Motivation likely important for emotional well-being
Shapes attitudes, coping styles, behavior
Motivation may interact with contextual variables
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Lack of research on motivational factors
Certain motivational frameworks may promote well-being in the face of
health or financial difficulties; others may erode it.
Our focus: Personal values
Schwartz (1992) Value Theory
Openness to change
Self-TranscendenceSelf-Direction
Universalism
Stimulation
Benevolence
Hedonism
Conformity
Tradition
Achievement
Security
Power
Self-Enhancement
Conservation
Personal Values
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Abstract, global aspirations of how to live based on what is most
important in life
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Goals: more concrete aspirations, particular projects
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Values: Unending projects; relatively stable motivational traits
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“Desirable, trans-situational goals that serve as guiding principles in
peoples’ lives” (Schwartz, 1992).
Four Higher Order Values
Enhancement
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Pursuit of status, success, dominance
Consistent with materialistic values (Burroughs & Rindfleisch,
2002)
Transcendence
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Concern for the welfare of others and the natural
world
Consistent with community values (Burroughs & Rindfleisch,
2002)
Four Higher Order Values
Conservation
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Self-restriction, (security, conformity, tradition), preservation of
status quo
Consistent with religious and family values (Burroughs & Rindfleisch, 2002)
Openness to change
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Active search for stimulation, novelty, change and
emphasizing freedom and independence in thought and
behavior
Consistent with variety-seeking in other paradigms (Burroughs &
Rindfleisch, 2002)
Goals of Study
Direct effects of values
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To examine direct effects of values on affective well-being (PA and
NA) among recent retirees
Interactions of values with circumstances
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To examine interaction of values and life circumstances (health and
finances) on affective well-being
Stability
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To explore these associations across three years of retirement
Hypotheses: Openness to
Change
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Flexibility, creativity, independence, pleasure
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May promote satisfying interactions and activities that in turn
promote positive emotions
Interaction with health / finances
• May protect well-being in health or financial difficulty through
promoting flexibility and resilience
Hypothesis: Conservation
Values
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Conformity to social norms, upholding traditions and customs,
maintaining security of the individual person and of society.
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May promote higher levels of well-being through social connectedness,
sense of purpose and meaning, and health
Hypotheses: SelfEnhancement Values
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Pursuit of status, control over others, success, admiration
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May cause goal frustration in a post-employment lifestyle
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Interaction:
• May erode well-being when combined with health or financial difficulties, as
valued goals become increasingly unattainable
Hypothesis: SelfTranscendence
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Concern for welfare of others and natural world
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May promote positive emotions through intrinsically satisfying
pro-social behavior and helping future generations (generativity)
Participants
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Concordia’s longitudinal retirement study
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Retirees associations; newspaper ads
Inclusion criteria
T1: (2005): N = 433; T3: (2007): N = 371 (85%)
Gender: 47% male; 53% female
Age: 59.05 yrs (SD = 5)
Years worked: 34.02 yrs (SD = 6.62)
Duration of retirement at T1: 1.9 yrs (SD = 1.81)
Income (N = 255): Zero to $250,000 (Median = $41,250)
Language: 61% French; 39% English
Materials
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Predictor variables
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Values: Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ) (Schwartz et al., 2001)
• Sample item: “It’s very important to him to help the people around him.
He wants to care for their well-being”
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6-point scale
“Very much like me” to “Not like me at all”
Health: # of illnesses
Finances: 1 item
• Compared to other people your age, how would you rate your financial
situation? (7 point scale)
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“A lot worse than most” to “A lot better than most”
Materials
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Outcome variables
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Positive and Negative Affect Scales (PANAS: Watson, Clark, & Tellegen,
1998)
• 10 positive emotions (PA)
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interested, excited, strong, enthusiastic proud, alert, inspired,
determined, attentive, active)
• 10 negative emotions (NA)
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Distressed, upset, guilty, scared, hostile, irritable, ashamed, nervous,
jittery, afraid)
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Procedure
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Those interested contacted us
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Came to lab and completed battery of questionnaires (2-3 hours) in
either English or French
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Paid 50$
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Annual follow-up at 1 year interval
Statistical Analyses
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SEM models (using M-Plus and Jon Santo)
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Testing a predicted pattern of associations among variables with the
actual data
Looking for variance accounted for, but also goodness of fit of models
Two SEM Strategies
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look at paths between predictors and outcomes at T1, T2, T3
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Does same pattern emerge?
Create one integrated model for all three years
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Which predictors have additional impact above and beyond initial
associations?
Fig 1 Details of separate SEM models for predictors of positive and negative affect
at T1, T2, and T3.
41
Positive Affect
40
 = .32, p < .01
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 = .03, p = .60
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37
36
35
34
Low Financial stat us
Low Self-Enhancement
High Financial st atus
High Self-Enhancement
Fig. 2 Interaction of financial status with enhancement values for positive affect
at T1
Positive Affect
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 = .06, p = .36
39
 = .29, p < .01
37
35
33
31
Low Financial Status
Low Openness to Change
High Financial Status
High Openness to Change
Fig. 3 Interaction of financial status with openness to change values for
positive affect at T1.
Fig 4 Integrated SEM model details for predictors of positive and negative affect at
T1, T2, and T3. Significant associations at T2 and T3 indicate increased effects above
and beyond prior associations. Non-significant associations at T2 and T3 indicate stability
in effects over time.
Summary
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Gender, health, finances all play an important role in emotional wellbeing
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Consistent with previous research
Values also help to explain emotional well-being, above and beyond
these variables
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Openness to change
• More positive, less negative emotions
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Transcendence, Conservation
• More positive emotions
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Enhancement
• More negative emotions
Summary: Moderating Role of
Values
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With low finances:
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Better to have low enhancement values
• High enhancement values + low finances = fewer positive emotions
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Better to have high openness to change values
• Low openness to change + low finances = fewer positive emotions
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No interaction of values and health
Stability and Increasing
Effects
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Pattern of associations generally consistent across 3 years
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Finances were a significant but constant predictor of emotional wellbeing
Health and values had increasing effects beyond initial associations
Speculation for increasing effects:
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Accumulating benefits or deficits
• E.g.: Openness to change values may lead to healthier activity patterns
whose effects compound over time
• E.g.: Illnesses may lead to activity restriction and social disengagement, the
negative effects of which multiply as years go by.
Implications
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For retirees
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Gender, health, and money matter in terms of happiness in retirement
Personal values matter in terms of happiness
• Can even protect happiness in financial difficulty
• Values don’t protect against the emotional impact of illness
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Retirement planning:
• Taking stock of values and how compatible they are with
opportunities in retirement
• Look for new ways to express values in activities
Future Directions
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Collect new retirement data during and after global
financial crisis
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Pathway from values to well-being in retirement
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Mechanism through which values influence well-being?
Continuity of the self?
• Enhancers may experience an inability to express important aspects
of the self in retirement
• Those who value openness to change, transcendence, and
conservation, sense of self can be preserved in retirement
Questions?
Slides of this presentation will be available on
website of Seatter Health:
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www.seatterhealth.ca