Paid Employment and Mental Health in 65–74-Year-Olds: Analysis of National Data From 2000, 2007 and 2014

Gayan Perera; Karen Glaser; Giorgio Di Gessa; Robert Stewart

doi:10.1002/gps.6143

Paid Employment and Mental Health in 65–74-Year-Olds: Analysis of National Data From 2000, 2007 and 2014

Gayan Perera^*, Karen Glaser, Giorgio Di Gessa, Robert Stewart

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Employment rates for people aged 65 and over have been changing rapidly in many countries, but little is known about associations of employment status with mental health status and their stability over time. We therefore investigated mental health associations with employment status in 65–74-year-olds in three national samples. Methods: The data for these analyses were drawn from three national surveys of psychiatric morbidity among adults in England living in private households carried out in 2000, 2007, and 2014. Employment status was the primary exposure of interest. Common mental disorder (CMD) and constituent symptoms were ascertained identically in the three surveys from the revised Clinical Interview Schedule. Covariates included identical demographic, social and physical health measures. Results: A significant association between non-employment and CMD was present in 2007 (odds ratio 2.66 [95% CI: 1.02–7.83]) but there was no significant association between non-employment and CMD in 2000 or 2014. The largest attenuation in the association between non-employment and CMD was seen when adjusted for physical health related factors. In combined samples, non-employment was most strongly associated with self-reported cognitive difficulties (OR 1.25, 1.01–1.61), depressive ideas (1.30, 1.01–1.67), worry (1.30, 1.01–1.68), and anxiety (1.27, 1.00–1.64) as constituent CMD symptoms. Conclusion: Evidence is still unclear whether employment after statutory retirement ages is associated with better mental health, and associations may be symptom-specific. In the light of policies to encourage older workers to remain active in the labour market, more research is needed into the interrelationships between paid work and mental health, as well as other outcomes.

Original language	English
Article number	e6143
Journal	International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Volume	39
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.6143
Publication status	Published - Oct 2024

Keywords

British National Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity
common mental disorders
mental health
older people
paid employment

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1002/gps.6143

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@article{a53efcf7501e4ecbae0c55466a4057e8,

title = "Paid Employment and Mental Health in 65–74-Year-Olds: Analysis of National Data From 2000, 2007 and 2014",

abstract = "Introduction: Employment rates for people aged 65 and over have been changing rapidly in many countries, but little is known about associations of employment status with mental health status and their stability over time. We therefore investigated mental health associations with employment status in 65–74-year-olds in three national samples. Methods: The data for these analyses were drawn from three national surveys of psychiatric morbidity among adults in England living in private households carried out in 2000, 2007, and 2014. Employment status was the primary exposure of interest. Common mental disorder (CMD) and constituent symptoms were ascertained identically in the three surveys from the revised Clinical Interview Schedule. Covariates included identical demographic, social and physical health measures. Results: A significant association between non-employment and CMD was present in 2007 (odds ratio 2.66 [95% CI: 1.02–7.83]) but there was no significant association between non-employment and CMD in 2000 or 2014. The largest attenuation in the association between non-employment and CMD was seen when adjusted for physical health related factors. In combined samples, non-employment was most strongly associated with self-reported cognitive difficulties (OR 1.25, 1.01–1.61), depressive ideas (1.30, 1.01–1.67), worry (1.30, 1.01–1.68), and anxiety (1.27, 1.00–1.64) as constituent CMD symptoms. Conclusion: Evidence is still unclear whether employment after statutory retirement ages is associated with better mental health, and associations may be symptom-specific. In the light of policies to encourage older workers to remain active in the labour market, more research is needed into the interrelationships between paid work and mental health, as well as other outcomes.",

keywords = "British National Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity, common mental disorders, mental health, older people, paid employment",

author = "Gayan Perera and Karen Glaser and {Di Gessa}, Giorgio and Robert Stewart",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.",

year = "2024",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1002/gps.6143",

language = "English",

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journal = "International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry",

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T1 - Paid Employment and Mental Health in 65–74-Year-Olds

T2 - Analysis of National Data From 2000, 2007 and 2014

AU - Perera, Gayan

AU - Glaser, Karen

AU - Di Gessa, Giorgio

AU - Stewart, Robert

PY - 2024/10

Y1 - 2024/10

N2 - Introduction: Employment rates for people aged 65 and over have been changing rapidly in many countries, but little is known about associations of employment status with mental health status and their stability over time. We therefore investigated mental health associations with employment status in 65–74-year-olds in three national samples. Methods: The data for these analyses were drawn from three national surveys of psychiatric morbidity among adults in England living in private households carried out in 2000, 2007, and 2014. Employment status was the primary exposure of interest. Common mental disorder (CMD) and constituent symptoms were ascertained identically in the three surveys from the revised Clinical Interview Schedule. Covariates included identical demographic, social and physical health measures. Results: A significant association between non-employment and CMD was present in 2007 (odds ratio 2.66 [95% CI: 1.02–7.83]) but there was no significant association between non-employment and CMD in 2000 or 2014. The largest attenuation in the association between non-employment and CMD was seen when adjusted for physical health related factors. In combined samples, non-employment was most strongly associated with self-reported cognitive difficulties (OR 1.25, 1.01–1.61), depressive ideas (1.30, 1.01–1.67), worry (1.30, 1.01–1.68), and anxiety (1.27, 1.00–1.64) as constituent CMD symptoms. Conclusion: Evidence is still unclear whether employment after statutory retirement ages is associated with better mental health, and associations may be symptom-specific. In the light of policies to encourage older workers to remain active in the labour market, more research is needed into the interrelationships between paid work and mental health, as well as other outcomes.

AB - Introduction: Employment rates for people aged 65 and over have been changing rapidly in many countries, but little is known about associations of employment status with mental health status and their stability over time. We therefore investigated mental health associations with employment status in 65–74-year-olds in three national samples. Methods: The data for these analyses were drawn from three national surveys of psychiatric morbidity among adults in England living in private households carried out in 2000, 2007, and 2014. Employment status was the primary exposure of interest. Common mental disorder (CMD) and constituent symptoms were ascertained identically in the three surveys from the revised Clinical Interview Schedule. Covariates included identical demographic, social and physical health measures. Results: A significant association between non-employment and CMD was present in 2007 (odds ratio 2.66 [95% CI: 1.02–7.83]) but there was no significant association between non-employment and CMD in 2000 or 2014. The largest attenuation in the association between non-employment and CMD was seen when adjusted for physical health related factors. In combined samples, non-employment was most strongly associated with self-reported cognitive difficulties (OR 1.25, 1.01–1.61), depressive ideas (1.30, 1.01–1.67), worry (1.30, 1.01–1.68), and anxiety (1.27, 1.00–1.64) as constituent CMD symptoms. Conclusion: Evidence is still unclear whether employment after statutory retirement ages is associated with better mental health, and associations may be symptom-specific. In the light of policies to encourage older workers to remain active in the labour market, more research is needed into the interrelationships between paid work and mental health, as well as other outcomes.

KW - British National Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity

KW - common mental disorders

KW - mental health

KW - older people

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JO - International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

JF - International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

IS - 10

M1 - e6143

ER -

Paid Employment and Mental Health in 65–74-Year-Olds: Analysis of National Data From 2000, 2007 and 2014

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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