Partners’ adjustment to older workers’ retirement: testing the role of preretirement expectations in a 10-year panel study

Abstract

Objectives: Retirement is not only an important later-life transition for the retiring individual, but also for his or her life partner. This study aims to improve our understanding of the partner's adjustment to the retirement of the older worker, by paying attention to the multidimensional nature of adjustment, and by examining to what extent preretirement expectations are predictive of postretirement experiences. Well-established adjustment predictorsi.e. preretirement resources and characteristics of the work and retirement contextare also taken into account. Method: Analyses are based on Dutch three-wave multi-actor panel data, collected between 2001 and 2011 among 724 partners of older workers who transitioned into retirement during the course of the study. Results: Only a minority of the partners reported adjustment difficulties to the retirement of the employee. About 20 percent reported at least some financial problems, 8 percent reported relationship problems, and 10 percent reported problems with shared leisure time. Expected problems in all three domains were predictive of experienced problems in the same domain. For expected financial problems, a cross-over effect was observed: expected financial problems were also predictive of experienced adjustment difficulties with regards to shared leisure activities. Conclusion: Not only the older worker, but also the partner develops expectations on different dimensions about the shared postretirement future, and these expectations are related to postretirement experiences. Retirement counseling may therefore not only be relevant for older workers, but also for their partners, and needs to take the multidimensional character of retirement processes into account.

The experience of the transition to retirement: Rapid evidence review

“…This study found that negative pre-retirement expectations about the consequences of retirement for leisure activities, social contacts and status predicted difficulties in adjusting to retirement. In a further study, negative pre-retirement expectations about post-retirement life in the domains of finances, relationship and shared leisure time, predicted difficulties postretirement for the partner of the person retiring (Damman et al, 2018). Though one study refers to the person retiring and the second to the partner, they suggest that if people have negative views about retirement then this could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.…”

“…(with responses ranging from 1 for a large drop to 5 for a very small drop in income) which is a more objective measure of financial circumstances. Another study from the Netherlands found that, among the partners of retirees, expectation of post-retirement financial problems predicted problems with retirement adjustment (Damman et al, 2018). These findings indicate that people's perceptions of their financial circumstances and their expectations of their future financial circumstances impact on their sense of retirement adjustment.…”

“…More recently, Damman and colleagues have conducted research looking solely at the experience of the partner of the retiring individual (Damman et al, 2018). This found that just a minority of partners experienced adjustment problems: 19% reported money-related problems; 8% relationship problems and 10% problems with shared leisure time since the retirement of their partner.…”

“…Interestingly, we found only two studies -both from the Netherlands -that looked at the impact of pre-retirement expectations on retirement adjustment. One showed that negative pre-retirement expectations about the consequences of retirement for leisure activities, social contacts and status predicted difficulties in adjusting to retirement for the person retiring (van , while the second showed that negative expectations about post-retirement life in the domains of finances, relationship and shared leisure time, predicted difficulties post-retirement for the partner of the person retiring (Damman et al, 2018). These findings suggest that negative expectations about retirement could become a self-fulfilling prophecy and that consideration of the retirement experience must take into account the partner of the retiring individual.…”