The influence of health and psychosocial resources on retirement adjustment

Abstract

my academic father. I will never forget the moment you humbly encouraged me in your office when I was discouraged about my poor writing skill. "Please help me to help you." You have always provided me with much more than what I could expect. I would also like to show my deepest appreciation to Dr. Gyounghae Han, my academic mother, who led me to human development and family studies. You have always challenged me and inspired me to become a better scholar. To my committee members, Drs. Jennifer Margrett, Clinton Gudmunson, Thomas Schofield, and Frederik Lorenz, I am truly grateful that I have such a great team from which I could get help, and I will keep getting help. It is a particular pleasure to acknowledge my debt to Drs. Gong-soog Hong and Janet Melby, you taught me how I could enjoy while I work. I would thank my friends Daesun Lee, Kwangjung Lee, and Shin Kim who gladly spent their time with me every time I visited Seoul giving me emotional and spiritual support. To Jungwook Paek, Myungwoon Lee, Shingyoung Jeon, Jaeil Shin, Hyosup Kim, you made my days in Ames always warm, busy, healthy, happy, and meaningful. Most important, I cannot express my appreciation enough to Heyri Choi, my wife, for the endless support she has given to me with a few sentences. It will take the rest of my life to pay her back. I would like to say to her, "고마워. 사랑해. 오래오래 같이 살자." viii ABSTRACT Although the researchers suggest that retirees' physical health, finances, and social support are important resources for adjustment in retirement, little attention has been paid to their impacts on retirement adjustment in post-retirement. This study investigates the influence of initial status of and change in these resources on early retirement adjustment based on the resource-based dynamic model (Wang, Henkens, & van Solinge, 2011). Data of retirees from the Health and Retirement Study were analyzed with latent growth curve models and a crosslagged model. Retirement adjustment was measured by depressive symptoms and a question asking about retirement satisfaction. The effects of retirees' personality traits, marital status, and job satisfaction while employed were included to account for retirees' individual differences in each resource. Retirees with better physical health, more financial resources, and higher levels of social support from their spouse reported fewer depressive symptoms and higher levels of retirement satisfaction. Changes in resources also predicted changes in post-retirement adjustment. Conscientiousness, extraversion, being married, and higher satisfaction with job while employed were related to better adjustment, whereas openness, agreeableness, and neuroticism predicted worse adjustment. Personality traits and job satisfaction were associated differently with social support according to who provided the support. The findings that retirees' resources change after retirement and influence retirement adjustment show the importance of maintaining these resources after retirement.