Abstract:

Although most people eventually make a satisfactory adjustment to retirement, some people experience difficulties in managing the transition. While measures of wellbeing are frequently included as outcomes in studies of retirement, few studies have examined the impact of retirement on health behaviours. Further, the contribution of psychological resources such as self-efficacy and sense of coherence in coping with transitions has largely been ignored. data from the health status of older people project were used to test the hypothesis that psychological resources would moderate the relationship between retirement and changes in health behaviour and well being. People who had retired within the past 5 years were compared with 3 other groups. Recently retired people were found to be more likely than other groups to have experienced reductions in physical and social activity but increases in happiness. High self-efficacy and sense of coherence predicted positive changes in health behaviours andf well being. However, there was interaction effect beyween any of the psychlogical resources and retirement status in predicting recent changes in health behaviours and well being. Psychological resources act to increase the chances that positive changes will occur in health behaviour and wellbeing of older people regardless of their retirement status.