Assessing the social components of retirement anxiety.

Abstract

In 4 studies involving 308 men and 384 women aged 25-76, a reliable instrument, the Social Components of Retirement Anxiety Scale (SCRAS), was developed to assess retirement anxiety. The 23-item SCRAS measures 4 factors:Social Integration and Identity, Social Adjustment/Hardiness, Anticipated Social Exclusion, and Lost Friendships. The scale strongly predicts fear of retirement and negative attitudes toward retirement. However, it seems not to be measuring simply a generalized emotional state, exhibiting only minimal correlations with more general measures of anxiety and depression. Elevated scores were observed particularly in persons for whom major social transitions are quite difficult--for example, those who were shy, lonely, had fewer instrumental or communal traits, or expected to have little personal control over their lives after retirement.

Perceived HRM practices, organizational commitment, and voluntary early retirement among late‐career managers

“…Some variables also were controlled for in analyses for voluntary early retirement. For example, research has shown that factors unrelated to the work environment may potentially affect retirement decisions (Beehr et al, 2000;Ekerdt, Hackney, Kosloski, & DeViney, 2001;Feldman, 1994;Fletcher & Hansson, 1991;Henkens, 1999;Lim, 2003;Shultz et al, 1998). For example, workers who perceive that health problems reduce their ability to work may decide to retire earlier (Hanisch & Hulin, 1991;Shultz et al, 1998).…”

A Psychometric Review of Career Assessment Tools for Use With Diverse Individuals

“…The Social Components of Retirement Anxiety Scale (Fletcher & Hansson, 1991) is a 23-item scale that measures four factors: Social Integration and Identity, Social Adjustment/Hardiness, Anticipated Social Exclusion, and Lost Friendships. The instrument is designed to assess retirement anxiety, a generalized feeling of apprehension or worry regarding the uncertain, unpredictable, and potentially disruptive consequences of a pending retirement.…”

Using Proactivity, Time Discounting, and the Theory of Planned Behavior to Identify Predictors of Retirement Planning

“…Retirement planning has potentially important consequences, not just for financial security in retirement (Fletcher & Hansson, 1991), but also in promoting satisfaction with, and adjustment to, the retirement lifestyle (Moen, 1996). In addition, those who engage in more retirement preparation report lower levels of preretirement anxiety, and they tend to retire at a younger age (Taylor-Carter, Cook, & Weinberg, 1997).…”