Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 2 of 2
Does early retirement lead to longer life?
- Author:
- LITWIN Howard
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 27(5), September 2007, pp.739-754.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
It has been claimed, but not empirically supported, that early retirement leads to longer life. The present investigation addressed this question using data from a 1997 Israeli national household survey of adults aged 60 or more years linked to mortality records from the national death registry, for 2004. The study examined the association between early retirement and seven-year all-cause mortality among the population of older Jewish Israelis who were employed prior to or at baseline (N=2,374). Both the timing of retirement and the reasons for exit from the labour force were considered in the analysis. The initial hazard regression models, adjusted by gender and reason for retirement including poor health, showed that early retirees indeed had lower mortality risk ratios than respondents who had retired ‘on time’. When additional variables were controlled in the final analytic model, however, the association between early retirement and mortality was not supported. Older age, male gender, and having been diagnosed with one or more of five major illnesses were all associated with greater risk for mortality. Medium level education and being employed at baseline were associated with lesser mortality risk. Nevertheless, the timing of retirement, viz. early versus normative exit from the workforce, was not related to survival. In sum, the respondents who had prematurely exited the labour force did not benefit from disproportionately longer lives when compared with the respondents who retired ‘on time’.
Confidant network types and well-being among older Europeans
- Authors:
- LITWIN Howard, STOECKEL Kimberley J.
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 54(5), 2014, pp.762-772.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Purpose of the Study: To derive a typology of confidant networks among older adults in Europe and to examine them in relation to country differences and well-being (CASP-12). Design and Methods: The study population was composed of persons aged 65 and older in 16 countries from the 4th wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N = 28,697). K-means cluster analysis was applied to data from a newly implemented name-generating network inventory. CASP-12 scores were regressed on network type controlling for country and potential sociodemographic and health confounders. Results: Six prototypical confidant network types were discerned, including proximal and distal family-based networks of varying configurations, as well as friend-based and other-based network types. Regional country differences in network type constellations were observed. Better well-being was found to be associated with network types with greater social capital. Respondents with no named confidants had the lowest CASP-12 scores, and those embedded in “other” network types also exhibited a negative association with well-being. Implications: The study demonstrates the utility of name-generating network inventories in understanding the social capital of older persons. It also shows that accessible family ties are strong correlates of well-being in this population. Finally, it documents the importance of improving the means to detect the small but significant subgroup of isolated older people—those who have no confidants on whom they may rely. (Publisher abstract)