ArticleGlobal health research and policy2023
Mental health around retirement: evidence of Ashenfelter's dip.
Article in Global health research and policy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Retirement timing, living arrangements and mental health: a multi-method investigation using Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2026Article
- Staying active, staying satisfied: how subjective well-being shapes ageing after retirement.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Emotional Well-Being Trajectories Before and After Statutory Retirement-Contributions of Social and Health-Related Factors.Scandinavian journal of psychology · 2026Article
- The effect of retirement experiences on depression and life satisfaction in the older adults: roles of social participation and grandparental childcare.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Land circulation impacts the physical and mental health of the elderly in rural Chinese households.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The association between digital communication tool use and perceived mental health among older adults in Canada.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Psychological distress among recently retired individuals in a resource-limited setting: the role of overall functioning and the moderating effect of perceived social support.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Social Determinants of Health Correlates and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Adults in Baltimore: The EngAGE With Heart Study.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2025Article
- Heterogeneity in the association between retirement and cognitive function: a machine learning analysis across 19 countries.International journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Retirement and grandchild care in China: mental health consequences and policy implications.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Prevalence and Determinants of Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults Across Europe: Evidence from SHARE Wave 9.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Lifestyle changes after retirement: a Grounded Theory.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMental health issues among retirees have become increasingly concerning because the aging population presents a significant challenge globally, particularly in Western countries. Previous studies on this issue are plagued with bias owing to lacking panel data and estimation strategies. This study investigated the depression levels of European adults around the time of retirement.
methodsWe used data obtained from Waves 1-7 of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to create panel data covering the 2004-2017 period. Wave 3 (SHARELIFE) was excluded from the sample because it provided mismatched information. Fixed-effects (FE) and fixed-effects instrumental variables (FE-IV) models with multiple imputations were employed to examine the impacts of retirement on mental health before and after retirement, where being over pension age (normal and early) was used as the instrument variable.
resultsOur results indicated that retirement based on aspirational motivations (β = - 0.115, p < 0.001) and positive circumstances (β = - 0.038, p < 0.001) significantly reduced depression, whereas retiring under negative circumstances could deteriorate one's mental health (β = 0.087, p < 0.001). FE and FE-IV models indicated that overall, retiring reduced retirees' depression (β = - 0.096, p < 0.001 and β = - 0.261, p < 0.001, respectively). The results of FE-IV models showed that adults planning to retire in the next two years experienced less depression compared with others in the workforce (λ = - 0.313, p < 0.01). These adults must have adjusted their lifestyles in response to their impending retirement, thereby evincing Ashenfelter's dip. Two years after retirement, when the "honeymoon" phase was over, retirees may have completely adapted to their new lives and the effect of retirement was no longer important.
conclusionsRetirement improves mental health before it happens, but not after. Increasing the pension eligibility age may postpone the beneficial effects of retirement on health. However, policy implications should be tailored according to the unique situations of each country, job sector, and population. Providing flexible schemes regarding retirement timing decisions would be better than a generalized retirement policy.
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