Stress and adaptation: Preparation for successful retirement

Abstract

Retirement from work can present a significant adjustment challenge for the older population financially, socially and emotionally. Retirement has been identified as a significantly stressful event. Work provides both a structured activity within a regular time frame and a sense of purpose and daily meaning. Energy is channelled into intellectual, creative, and/or physical tasks that offer a sense of satisfaction when they are completed. The planning for retirement is associated with successful adaptation. A realization of the potential and rewards of retirement will also facilitate this adaptation.

Adjustment Process in Retired Iranian Nurses

“…Many retired nurses are very attached to their work and this makes leaving it more difficult (40). During the retirement period, there is a lack of good organizational support to assist nurses adjust to the associated mental and social stressors (5).…”

“…They were more able to accept the status quo and start a new life. They can deal with their changed status and devote more time to their families (40). Planning and selection of fun activities had an important role in adjustment to retirement, and retired individuals who participated in leisure activities had greater satisfaction with their life (50).…”

Etude longitudinale du stress psychologique et physiologique lors de la transition à la retraite chez un groupe d'hommes /

“…Elle représente un défi important au plan financier, social et émotionnel (Lo & Brown, 1999). Même si une grande partie des individus s'adaptent bien à cette nouvelle étape, des études ont confirmé qu'une certaine proportion vivait plus •difficilement cette transition.…”

A new category of “future planning” in the activity card sort: Continuity versus novelty in old age

“…The concept of "future planning" has been well studied in the gerontology literature of the last two decades and shows that most future planning occurs around retirement age [8][9][10][11]. Retirement involves marked changes within a short period of time and is therefore a significant transition in life requiring a process of planning [8].…”

“…Older people seek to develop activity patterns that are as stable as possible in order to maintain the social and psychological characteristics they obtained through life. Continuity serves as an attribute of successful adaptation to old age and its associated difficulties, such as deteriorating health status, decreased financial income and narrowing social circles [9,[14][15][16][17][18][19].…”