Is Working Later in Life Good or Bad for Health? An Investigation of Multiple Health Outcomes

Overview

Journal J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci

Specialties Geriatrics
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2013 Jul 27

PMID 23887930

Citations 15

Authors

Kandauda K A S Wickrama

Catherine W ONeal

Kyung H Kwag

Tae K Lee

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the mutual influences between changes in work status and multiple dimensions of health outcomes (immediate memory, physical disability, and depressive symptoms) over later years.

Methods: We used a subsample of 8,524 older adults who participated in the Health and Retirement Study from 1998 to 2008 and were 62 years or older in 1998 to examine work status and health outcomes after controlling for age and background characteristics.

Results: We present results of cross-lagged auto-regressive models. Work status (level of work) predicted subsequent residual changes in immediate memory over time, whereas immediate memory predicted subsequent residual changes in work status over time, even after controlling for physical disability and depressive symptoms. Similar results were indicated for the associations between work status and physical disability and depressive symptoms over time.

Discussion: Consistent with social causation and social selection traditions, the findings support bi-directional associations among changes in work status (the level of work), immediate memory, physical disability, and depressive symptoms in later years. Practical implications are discussed.

Citing Articles

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Does (re-)entering the labour market at advanced ages protect against cognitive decline? A matching difference-in-differences approach.

Kim J, Muniz-Terrera G, Leist A J Epidemiol Community Health. 2023; 77(10):663-669.

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Crandall P, Houser R, OBryan C SN Soc Sci. 2022; 2(9):173.

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Burden and correlates of cognitive impairment among hypertensive patients in Tanzania: a cross-sectional study.

Pallangyo P, Mkojera Z, Komba M, Mgopa L, Bhalia S, Mayala H BMC Neurol. 2021; 21(1):433.

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Life-course trajectories of working conditions and successful ageing.

Nilsen C, Darin-Mattsson A, Hyde M, Wastesson J Scand J Public Health. 2021; 50(5):593-600.

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