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Community participation and mental health during retirement in community sample of Australians
- Authors:
- OLESEN Sarah C., BERRY Helen L.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 15(2), March 2011, pp.186-197.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper considers whether people use community participation to manage the transition into retirement. The study aimed to investigate whether community participation during later adulthood is more strongly associated with mental health during retirement than it is while in employment. The participants were a random sample of 322 men and 311 women aged 45 years and older resident in an Australian coastal community. The frequency of participation across 14 types of community-based activities was assessed and overall mental health was measured on a 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Analysis of the results showed that retirees did not participate in their communities more than working people. The association between community participation and psychological distress did not differ by retirement status when people of all ages were considered together. However, stronger associations between several activities and less distress were found for retirees compared to their working peers in a younger cohort (aged 45 to 54) who were approaching the age of retirement. The findings offer some support for the view that community participation may become particularly important during the transition to retirement as a means of compensating for the absence of paid work or because these activities define a new retirement phase of life.