Participation in socially-productive activities, reciprocity and wellbeing in later life: baseline results in England

Abstract

This paper examines whether participation in social activities is associated with higher levels of wellbeing among post-retirement age people in England, and, if so, whether these relationships are explained by the reciprocal nature of these activities. Cross-sectional analysis of relationships between social activities (including paid work, caring and volunteering) and wellbeing (quality of life, life satisfaction and depression) was conducted among participants of one wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) who were of state pension age or older. Participants in paid or voluntary work generally had more favourable wellbeing than those who did not participate in these activities. Caring was not associated with wellbeing, although female carers were less likely to be depressed than noncarers. Carers, volunteers and those in paid work who felt adequately rewarded for their activities had better wellbeing than those who were not participating in those activities, while those who did not feel rewarded did not differ from nonparticipants. These results point to the need to increase the rewards that older people receive from their productive activities, particularly in relation to caring work.

The relationship between wealth and loneliness among older people across Europe: Is social participation protective?

“…In our Europe-wide study, the least advantaged groups experienced higher levels of loneliness and participated less in social activities, concurring with previous research (Bosma et al, 2015;de Jong Gierveld et al, 2015;Hansen and Slagsvold, 2015;McMunn et al, 2009). This suggests that a lack of financial resources may constrain some individuals from fully participating in society, which may lead to loneliness and social isolation among those who are already at risk via a number of different pathways, including poor health and widowhood.…”

Managing employees beyond age 65: from the margins to the mainstream?

“…Most UK research on the employment of over-65s has focused on the individual -assessing the motivations and characteristics of those in work. Factors such as orientation to work (Parry and Taylor, 2007), health (Lain 2011b;Griffin and Hesketh, 2008), educational qualifications (Smeaton and McKay, 2003;Lain, 2011a), gender / domestic situations and responsibilities (Loretto and Vickerstaff, 2013) and financial circumstances (McMunn et al, 2009) affect individual preferences and decisions. In contrast, employment and organisational policies have been driven by official and popular conceptions of the 'older worker', most often considered to be someone aged between 50 and SPA.…”

Harnessing the Therapeutic Power of Volunteering

“…• Improved affect 16 • Improved sense of well-being and satisfaction with life 3,15,[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] • Improved quality of life 4,[25][26][27][28][29] • Lower rates of depression 4,22,24,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] • Reduced stress/psychological distress 28,[37][38][39] • Increased self-esteem 4,8 • Greater sense of meaning and purpose in life 5,15,16,27,[40][41][42][43][44][45] • Greater sense of achievement and motivation 17 • Escape from everyday routines and demands; achieve better work:life balance 11…”