abstract: 'Background In Australia, it is projected that one in four individuals

  will be at the nominal retirement age of 65 or over by 2056; this effect

  is expected to be especially pronounced in rural areas. Previous

  findings on the effects of retirement on wellbeing have been mixed. The

  present study explores the effects of employment and retirement on

  health and wellbeing among a sample of rural Australians. Methods

  Australian Rural Mental Health Study participants who were aged 45 or

  over (N = 2013) were included in a series of analyses to compare the

  health and wellbeing of individuals with differing employment and

  retirement circumstances. Self-reported outcome variables included

  perceived physical health and everyday functioning, financial wellbeing,

  mental health, relationships, and satisfaction with life. Results Across

  the outcomes, participants who were employed or retired generally

  reported better health and wellbeing than those not in the workforce.

  Retired participants rated more highly than employed participants on

  mental health, relationships, and satisfaction with life. There was also

  a short-term benefit for perceived financial status for retired

  participants compared to employed participants, but this effect

  diminished over time. Conclusions While retirement is a significant life

  transition that may affect multiple facets of an individual''s life, the

  direction and magnitude of these effects vary depending on the

  retirement context, namely the pre-retirement and concurrent

  circumstances within which an individual is retiring. Personal

  perceptions of status changes may also contribute to an individual''s

  wellbeing more so than objective factors such as income. Policies that

  promote rural work/retirement opportunities and diversity and address

  rural disadvantage are needed.'
affiliation: 'Handley, TE (Corresponding Author), Univ Newcastle, Ctr Rural \& Remote
  Mental Hlth, Univ Dr, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.

  Handley, TE (Corresponding Author), Univ Newcastle, Sch Med \& Publ Hlth, Callaghan,
  NSW, Australia.

  Handley, Tonelle E., Univ Newcastle, Ctr Rural \& Remote Mental Hlth, Univ Dr, Callaghan,
  NSW 2308, Australia.

  Handley, Tonelle E.; Lewin, Terry J.; Kelly, Brian J., Univ Newcastle, Sch Med \&
  Publ Hlth, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.

  Lewin, Terry J.; Kelly, Brian J., Univ Newcastle, Ctr Brain \& Mental Hlth Res,
  Callaghan, NSW, Australia.

  Butterworth, Peter, Australian Natl Univ, Ctr Res Ageing Hlth \& Wellbeing, Canberra,
  ACT, Australia.'
article-number: '888'
author: Handley, Tonelle E. and Lewin, Terry J. and Butterworth, Peter and Kelly,
  Brian J.
author-email: 'tonelle.handley@newcastle.edu.au

  brian.kelly@newcastle.edu.au'
author_list:
- family: Handley
  given: Tonelle E.
- family: Lewin
  given: Terry J.
- family: Butterworth
  given: Peter
- family: Kelly
  given: Brian J.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10876-9
eissn: 1471-2458
files: []
journal: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH
keywords: Retirement; Employment; Ageing; Mental health; Wellbeing; Rural
keywords-plus: 'SELF-RATED HEALTH; MENTAL-HEALTH; PHYSICAL HEALTH; LIFE; WORK;

  DETERMINANTS; TRAJECTORIES; TRANSITION; DEPRESSION; BENEFITS'
language: English
month: MAY 10
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '57'
orcid-numbers: 'Lewin, Terry J/0000-0002-4510-4001

  Butterworth, Peter/0000-0002-1531-3881'
papis_id: 813c083bd3df873981b99b17ec9042ba
ref: Handley2021employmentretirement
researcherid-numbers: 'Lewin, Terry J/D-4513-2012

  Butterworth, Peter/AFK-2636-2022

  '
times-cited: '6'
title: Employment and retirement impacts on health and wellbeing among a sample of
  rural Australians
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000656158500002
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '7'
volume: '21'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2021'