Co-development of Couples’ Life Satisfaction in Transition to Retirement: A Longitudinal Dyadic Perspective

Author(s):  
Elisa Weber ◽  
Gizem Hülür

Abstract Objectives Retirement is one of the major life course transitions in old age. Evidence suggests that exiting work life is associated with notable changes in life satisfaction, which are heterogeneous across individuals. Effects of retirement transitions on life satisfaction have been understudied in couples. We examined change in life satisfaction with retirement for retirees and their spouses/partners, the extent to which change in life satisfaction was heterogeneous and correlated within couples, and associations with health status and social participation. Method We used data from the German Socioeconomic Panel obtained in the years 1984 to 2016 (n = 2,117 couples; 74% male retirees; age at retirement: M = 61 years, SD = 3 years, range = 55 to 70 years; 98% married or in a registered relationship). We examined health and social participation of retirees and their partners as predictor variables and controlled for age, gender, education, partner employment, household income, and region in Germany (former East vs West). Data were analyzed with dyadic multilevel two-phase growth curve models. Results On average, both retirees and partners reported increasing life satisfaction at retirement. Change in life satisfaction was heterogeneous across individuals and highly correlated within couples. Health and social participation were associated with levels of, but not with change in life satisfaction with retirement in retirees and partners. Discussion Retirement is not a uniform period of transition, but is shaped by the multidimensional context in which life unfolds. Moreover, life satisfaction can be shaped in response to life transitions experienced by close others.

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 1194-1200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara M. Gorchoff ◽  
Oliver P. John ◽  
Ravenna Helson

To address the need for longitudinal marital research that takes contextual factors into account, we investigated change in women's marital satisfaction over 18 years of middle age. We examined not only whether marital satisfaction changed, but also why and how it changed. Marital satisfaction increased in middle age, and increased marital, but not life, satisfaction was linked to the transition to an empty nest. More specifically, the transition to an empty nest increased marital satisfaction via an increase in women's enjoyment of time with their partners, but not via an increase in the quantity of that time with partners. Also, increasing marital satisfaction was not attributable to changing partners. Taken together, these findings support the utility of applying a contextualized approach focused on major life transitions to the study of long-term change in marital satisfaction.


Author(s):  
Michelle Pannor Silver

Self-perceptions about aging have implications for health and well-being; however, less is known about how these perceptions influence adaptation to major life transitions. The goal of this study was to examine how high-performance athletes’ perceptions about aging influenced their adaptation to athletic retirement. In-depth interviews conducted with 24 retired Olympic athletes using thematic analysis yielded three key themes: (a) perceptions about aging influenced participants’ postretirement exercise habits, (b) perceptions about aging motivated participants to engage in civic activities, and (c) participants who lacked formative perceptions about aging associated their athletic retirement with their own lost sense of purpose. These findings provide evidence that perceptions about aging influence athletes’ adaptation to retirement by directing their subsequent engagement in postretirement activities. Furthermore, this research highlights theoretical implications for the literature regarding embodied processes, retirement transitions, role models, and adaptation to new physical states.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alma M. L. Au ◽  
Stephen C. Y. Chan ◽  
H. M. Yip ◽  
Jackie Y. C. Kwok ◽  
K. Y. Lai ◽  
...  

Age-friendliness, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to enable and support individuals in different aspects of life for fostering life satisfaction and personal well-being as they age. We identified specific aspect(s) of age-friendliness associated with life satisfaction and examined similarities and differences in age-friendliness and life satisfaction in young-old and old-old adults. Six hundred and eighty-two ageing adults were asked to complete a survey questionnaire consisting of the Age-friendly City Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and sociodemographic variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the effects of various domains of age-friendliness on life satisfaction among the young-old adults (aged 65 to 74, n=351) and the old-old adults (aged 75 to 97, n=331). Common domains associated with life satisfaction in both young-old and old-old groups were transportation and social participation. Community and health services were associated with life satisfaction for the young-old group only. On the other hand, civic participation and employment was significantly associated with the old-old group only. Social participation is important for the young-old and the old-old. Ageing older adults can be a resource to the society. Implications for promoting and implementing age-friendliness were discussed in the context of successful and productive ageing and the need for a more refined taxonomy of social activities.


2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Ekström ◽  
Synneve Dahlin Ivanoff ◽  
Sölve Elmståhl

Author(s):  
Anthony R. Bardo ◽  
Ashley Vowels

This chapter provides a synthesis of the literature on the transition to adulthood among emerging adults with a disability in the United States. The life course paradigm was used to frame the discussion in the context of demographic trends and contemporary circumstances regarding major life transitions in the areas of education, employment, independent living, and sex, marriage, and parenthood. A critical assessment of the current state of the literature from a social versus medical model of disability in these central life domains provides a foundation from which sociologists can explore processes of cumulative inequality embedded in the relatively uncharted lives of transition-age youth with a disability.


Author(s):  
Eleanor M. Winpenny ◽  
Megan R. Winkler ◽  
Jan Stochl ◽  
Esther M. F. van Sluijs ◽  
Nicole Larson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Early adulthood is a period of rapid personal development when individuals experience major life transitions (e.g. leaving the parental home, leaving education, beginning employment, cohabitation and parenthood). Changes in social and physical environments associated with these transitions may influence development of health-related behaviours. Consumption of fast food is one behaviour associated with poor diet and long-term health outcomes. In this study we assess how frequency of fast food consumption changes across early adulthood, and how major life transitions are associated with changes in fast food intake. Methods Data were collected across four waves of the Project EAT study, from mean age 14.9 (SD = 1.6) to mean age 31.1 (SD = 1.6) years. Participants reporting data at two or more waves were included (n = 2902). Participants reported past week frequency of eating food from a fast food restaurant and responded to questions on living arrangements, education and employment participation, and having children. To assess changes in fast food we developed a latent growth model incorporating an underlying trajectory of fast food intake, five life transitions, and time-invariant covariates. Results Mean fast food intake followed an underlying quadratic trajectory, increasing through adolescence to a maximum of 1.88 (SE 0.94) times/week and then decreasing again through early adulthood to 0.76 (SE 2.06) times/week at wave 4. Beginning full-time employment and becoming a parent both contributed to increases in fast food intake, each resulting in an average increase in weekly fast food intake of 0.16 (p < 0.01) times/week. Analysis of changes between pairs of waves revealed stronger associations for these two transitions between waves 1–2 (mean age 14.9–19.4 years) than seen in later waves. Leaving the parental home and beginning cohabitation were associated with decreases in fast food intake of − 0.17 (p = 0.004) and − 0.16 (p = 0.007) times/week respectively, while leaving full-time education was not associated with any change. Conclusions The transitions of beginning full-time employment and becoming a parent were associated with increases in fast food intake. Public health policy or interventions designed to reduce fast food intake in young adults may benefit from particular focus on populations experiencing these transitions, to ameliorate their impact.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S22-S22
Author(s):  
Isabelle Hansson ◽  
Georg Henning ◽  
Sandra Buratti ◽  
Magnus Lindwall ◽  
Marie Kivi ◽  
...  

Abstract Research on the retirement transition suggests that personality can influence the adjustment process, but the mechanisms involved remain still largely unknown. In the present study we investigate direct and indirect associations between the Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction over the retirement transition. Indirect effects were evaluated through the role of personality for self-esteem, autonomy, social support, perceived physical and cognitive health, and financial satisfaction. The sample included 796 older adults and four annual measurement waves in the Swedish longitudinal HEARTS study. Results from multivariate latent growth curve models showed multiple indirect effects of personality. Extraversion was positively related to life satisfaction through increased self-esteem, autonomy, and social support. Neuroticism was negatively associated with life satisfaction through decreased self-esteem, autonomy, social support, and perceived cognitive ability. Our findings suggest that retirees with higher neuroticism are more likely to experience adjustment problems resulting from negative changes in key resources.


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