Working past retirement may be good for you?

I saw a headline in a newsletter that intrigued me, it said, “Working past the age of retirement linked to improved physical and mental health” Wow, I thought that is interesting, so I clicked on the link and read the entire headline:” Working past the age of retirement linked to improved physical and mental health depending on the Job”. What an insight.

In a new study published in BMC Public Health, researchers have found that working later in life may be beneficial for some but have adverse effects on individuals in high-demand or low-reward jobs.

Research shows that working, compared to involuntary unemployment, is good for mental health; however, there is little work regarding mental and physical health outcomes for individuals who work past the age of retirement.

Some studies showed that working part-time at an older age is correlated with positive health outcomes. For instance, one study showed that older individuals who worked beyond the age of 62 were less likely to be depressed or experience sleep disturbances, but these results were not significant. After fully adjusting the results, one study found that older women in the UK who worked manual jobs were more likely to have higher depression scores, whereas women who worked professional occupations were not as negatively affected.

The researchers also found that older men who worked were less likely to require long-term care but experienced a decline in daily activities. Older women who worked were less likely to require long-term care and less likely to experience a decline in daily activities.

Overall, both retired and working older women had increased physical functioning difficulties than men. The reviewed study from the United States found increased positive physical outcomes for older individuals who worked average reward jobs, compared to low reward jobs. One study found a positive quality of life as an outcome for older individuals who worked for the purpose of staying active and for enjoyment, but not for those who worked for financial reasons.

The evaluation of an intervention intended to enable a desired work/life balance showed that individuals who had low workability benefitted from the intervention and had increased perceptions of being able to do their job.

The researchers note there were limitations of their work one was that they did not include retired individuals younger than age 64. They also, only studies written in English were used, which may have excluded other relevant work. Finally, they did not include studies focused on the effects of retirement.

The study, “Is working in later life good for your health? A systematic review of health outcomes resulting from extended working lives“, was authored by Susan Baxter, Lindsay Blank, Anna Cantrell, and Elizabeth Goyder.