NEVER RETIRE? MENTAL HEALTH OF FULL-TIME AGING WORKERS

摘要

The current study investigated whether full-time working status impacts mental health of older adults in the United States, as well as whether race/ethnicity moderates the relationship between full-time working status and mental health. Specifically, we investigated whether full-time aging workers suffer from depression at a higher rate than retirees after controlling for chronic health conditions and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Data drawn from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study, we analyzed a total of 7,327 adults aged 65 and older using multilevel logistic regression. We found that employment status was significantly associated with depressive symptoms among older adults in the United States. As compared to retirees, full-time aging workers reported less depressive symptoms. Chronic illness also contributed to worsening mental health. In particular, ever having a high blood pressure, lung disease, heart problems, psych problems, and arthritis were associated with increased depressive symptoms. In terms of racial/ethnic differences, being a Hispanic was significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms. While, being older, having a higher educational attainment, and having a higher level of household wealth were associated with decreased depressive symptoms. We also found an interaction effect of race/ethnicity on the relationship between full-time working status and mental health. Our findings provide implications for more effective interventions to reduce barriers and to increase access to help from mental health professionals in both workplace and communities.