While many seniors love retirement, others struggle during their golden years. A recent study suggests that two groups of people are more likely to have mental health issues once they quit working.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland set out to understand changes in mental health before, during and after retirement. They also looked at mental health across different income levels.
As part of their study, the researchers analyzed data on 1,583 people from the Netherlands. These participants filled out surveys about health, work, education, family and personality over more than 15 years, from 2007 to 2023.
The researchers used statistical models to gauge participants’ mental health 5.5 years before and 5.5 years after retirement. They also looked at the mental health of participants upon retirement.
Researchers assessed the mental health of participants through the Mental Health Inventory, which takes into account psychological well-being as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The good news is that researchers found that overall, well-being typically improves once people stop working.
However, the researchers also found that two types of retirees are more likely to struggle with mental health at some point during their golden years:
- Retirees who earned low incomes, especially women and the unmarried
- Retirees who earned moderate incomes and had a physically demanding job before retiring
Those who reported low incomes during their working years — defined as below the Netherlands’ minimum wage — had the lowest levels of mental health during retirement. Their decline in mental health began about 2.5 years into retirement.
In this low-income group, women and those who were not married experienced significantly poorer mental health.
Among study participants who earned moderate incomes, those who worked physically demanding jobs had lower levels of mental health throughout retirement.
Retirees who earned higher incomes did not report declining mental health after they stopped working. Instead, they experienced a significant sudden improvement in their mental health upon retiring. However, among retirees who earned higher incomes, those who retired at a later age showed slower improvement in mental health during their first year of retirement.
In a summary of the study’s findings, study co-author Aja Murray, a psychology professor at the University of Edinburgh, says:
“All income groups showed a general improvement in mental health during the transition to retirement, yet there were multiple phases of development where mental health can take a dip. During these vulnerable times, people may benefit from targeted support.”
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