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Mental work demands, retirement, and longitudinal trajectories of cognitive functioning.

Fisher GG; Stachowski A; Infurna FJ; Faul JD; Grosch J; Tetrick LE

J Occup Health Psychol 2014 Apr; 19(2):231-242

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035724

20044314

Age-related changes in cognitive abilities are well-documented, and a very important indicator of health, functioning, and decline in later life. However, less is known about the course of cognitive functioning before and after retirement and specifically whether job characteristics during one's time of employment (i.e., higher vs. lower levels of mental work demands) moderate how cognition changes both before and after the transition to retirement. We used data from n = 4,182 (50% women) individuals in the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study in the United States, across an 18 year time span (1992-2010). Data were linked to the O*NET occupation codes to gather information about mental job demands to examine whether job characteristics during one's time of employment moderates level and rate of change in cognitive functioning (episodic memory and mental status) both before and after retirement. Results indicated that working in an occupation characterized by higher levels of mental demands was associated with higher levels of cognitive functioning before retirement, and a slower rate of cognitive decline after retirement. We controlled for a number of important covariates, including socioeconomic (education and income), demographic, and health variables. Our discussion focuses on pathways through which job characteristics may be associated with the course of cognitive functioning in relation to the important transition of retirement. Implications for job design as well as retirement are offered.

Age-factors; Mental-processes; Humans; Men; Women; Mental-stress; Mental-health; Demographic-characteristics; Author Keywords: cognitive aging; cognitive functioning; mental demands; job complexity; retirement; Health and Retirement Study; HRS

Gwenith G. Fisher, Department of Psychology, 1876 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1876

JOHPFC

20140401

Journal Article

gwen.fisher@colostate.edu

2014

M052014

2

1076-8998

DART

Healthcare and Social Assistance; Wholesale and Retail Trade

Journal of Occupational Health Psychology

CO; AZ; OH; WI; MI; VA