The conscientious retiree: The relationship between conscientiousness, retirement, and volunteering

Mike, Anissa; Jackson, Joshua J.; Oltmanns, Thomas F.

doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2014.07.002

Cited by 33 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…As with openness, there may be individual differences in this change, as some retirees continue to invest in activities that require high conscientiousness, such as volunteering (Mike, Jackson, & Oltmanns, 2014), while others divest from such commitments completely.…”

Section: Retirement and Conscientiousnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality Trait Development Across the Transition to Retirement

Schwaba¹,

Bleidorn²

2017

Preprint

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In this study, we examined trajectories of Big Five personality development in the five years before and after retirement. Our sample was composed of 690 retirees (ages 51-81) and a propensity-score matched comparison group of 532 non-retirees drawn from a nationally representative longitudinal study of the Netherlands. Participants contributed data across a maximum of six measurement waves over a period of seven years. In the month after retirement, participants experienced sudden increases in openness and agreeableness followed by gradual declines in these traits over the next five years. Emotional stability increased before and after retirement. The transition to retirement was not associated with changes in conscientiousness or extraversion. Further, we found significant individual differences in development across the transition to retirement for each personality trait but could not identify any moderators that accounted for these individual differences. These results contribute to our understanding of personality development in older adulthood as well as the temporal dynamics of personality change in response to major life events. A vast number of theories have been put forth to explain how these life events affect lifespan personality development (e.g.

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Section: Retirement and Conscientiousnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality Trait Development Across the Transition to Retirement

Schwaba¹,

Bleidorn²

2017

Preprint

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“…In addition, although some studies find null or minimal associations between conscientiousness and volunteering (Carlo et al, 2005; Elshaug & Metzer, 2010), studies of older adults find that the relationship between conscientiousness and volunteering becomes larger during retirement, when conscientious people channel their energies outside of the workplace (Mike, Jackson, & Oltmanns, 2014). It is thus possible that the health effects of volunteering are to some extent, explained by personality differences between volunteers and non-volunteers (King et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volunteering is prospectively associated with health care use among older adults

Kim

Konrath

2016

Social Science & Medicine

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Rationale Although observational and experimental studies have shown that volunteering is linked with better mental health, physical health, and health behaviors, no studies have examined whether volunteering is associated with patterns of health care use. Objective The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine whether volunteering was associated with a greater use of preventive health care services, but fewer doctor visits and nights spent in the hospital. Methods Participants (n=7,168) were drawn from the 2006 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 51, and tracked for one wave (2 years). Logistic regression and generalized linear models were used for analyses. Results. In analyses that adjusted for sociodemographic factors and baseline health, volunteers were 30% more likely to receive flu shots (OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.16–1.47), 47% more likely to receive cholesterol tests (OR=1.47, 95% CI=1.24–1.74); female volunteers were 53% more likely to receive mammograms/x-rays (OR=1.53, 95% CI=1.28–1.83) and 21% more likely to receive Pap smears (OR=1.21, 95% CI=1.03–1.41); male volunteers were 59% more likely to receive prostate exams (OR=1.59, 95% CI=1.29–1.95). In a model that adjusted for sociodemographic factors, volunteers spent 38% fewer nights in the hospital (RR=0.62, 95% CI=0.52–0.76), however volunteering was not associated with frequency of doctor visits (RR=0.94, 95% CI=0.87–1.02). The association between volunteering and number of nights spent in the hospital was minimally affected after adjusting for potential confounding (baseline health) and explanatory variables (health behaviors, social integration, stress, positive psychological factors, personality). Conclusion This is the first known study to examine the association between volunteering and health care use. If future studies replicate these findings, the results may be used to inform the development of new strategies for increasing preventive health screenings, lowering health care use and costs, and enhancing the health of older adults.

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“…As such, behavioral patterns and personality manifestations may become more idiosyncratic throughout the lifespan, which may both quantitatively and qualitatively influence personality structure. For example, the transition to retirement impacts the manifestations of Conscientiousness (Mike, Jackson and Oltmanns, 2014). In line with this, longitudinal twin studies suggest that non-shared environmental characteristics increasingly influence personality throughout the lifespan (Tucker Drob & Briley, 2014), suggesting that idiosyncratic experiences accumulate to influence personality over time.…”

Section: Big Five Personality Developmentmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…According to Social Investment Theory, the root of such change likely lies in age-graded social roles of changes individuals experience (Lodi-Smith & Roberts, 2007). Future research should examine the relationship between crosssectional network stability and known social changes in older adulthood, including losses of loved ones (Mroczek & Spiro, 2003), retirement (Mike, Jackson, & Oltmanns, 2014), dementia (Balsis et al, 2005), and other health-related concerns (Jackson, Weston & Schultz, 2017).…”

Section: Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interindividual Age Differences in Personality Structure

Beck¹,

Condon²,

Jj³

2019

Preprint

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Most investigations in the structure of personality traits do not adequately address age; instead they presuppose a constant structure across the lifespan. Further, few studies look at the structure of personality traits a-theoretically, often neglecting to examine the relationship among indicators within a trait (coherence) and across traits (differentiation). Using a network approach, the present study examines (1) age differences in differentiation and coherence, (2) the similarity between the Big Five and network structures, and (3) the consistency of network structure across age groups in a large, cross-sectional sample. Results indicate that coherence shows early gains in adolescence with few changes across the lifespan, while differentiation mostly weakens across adulthood. The result of these age-related changes is that Big Five indicators only parallel the Big Five structure among young but not older adults. The structure of young adults tends to be quite similar while the network structures of older adults appear to greatly differ from one another. These results suggest that older adults have a different structure of personality than younger adults and suggest that future research should not assume consistency in personality structure across the lifespan.

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The conscientious retiree: The relationship between conscientiousness, retirement, and volunteering

Cited by 33 publications

References 58 publications

Personality Trait Development Across the Transition to Retirement

Personality Trait Development Across the Transition to Retirement

Volunteering is prospectively associated with health care use among older adults

Interindividual Age Differences in Personality Structure

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