Four studies involving middle-aged and older workers were conducted to (a) explore perceived obstacles to adaptive job or career changes in later-life, and (b) develop an instrument with which to identify older adults who might be more sensitive to such obstacles. A reliable instrument was developed which reflected three broad categories of perceived risk: (a) age-inappropriateness of the change, (b) potential for age-discrimination, and (c) risk of hastened obsolescence. As evidence for the convergent validity of the instrument, the results indicated a heightened sensitivity to job change obstacles among respondents with: (a) age-sensitized concerns about job and financial security, (b) poorer psychological adjustment to a plateaued career, and (c) poorer psychological and social adjustment to their own aging.

Four studies, involving 314 middle-aged and older adults were conducted to develop and validate the Occupational Self-Efficacy Index (OSEI). The OSEI assesses adults' beliefs (in the latter half of their working life) in their continued ability to learn, adapt, and be productive in a changing workplace. OSEI scores reflect three factors: Performance Ability, Learning Ability, and Organizational Skills. The instrument is reliable (alpha = .94). Evidence of construct validity included positive conelations with general self-efficacy, intrinsic job motivation, a history of previous job successes, retirement income sufficiency, health status, and a negative correlation with job stress.

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