Gender differences in the impact of retirement on depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults: A propensity score matching approach

Background Retirement is one of the most important later-life status transitions related to changes in workforce participation, lifestyle, and social roles among older adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of retirement on depressive symptoms by gender in middle-aged and older adult Koreans, using a large, nationally representative sample. Methods Using year 2010 and 2012 data from the Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging, we investigated the relationship between adults’ retirement status and depressive symptoms measured by the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression (CES-D10) scale. A series of propensity score matching models were calculated to test the potential retirement effect on adults’ depressive symptoms. Results Overall, the level of depressive symptoms of the retired group was not different from that of the employed counterpart. In gender-stratified models, the gain of CES-D10 scores in the retired group was higher than that of the employed group for males, which was in the opposite direction among females. However, the propensity score matching model showed that the relationship between retirement status and CES-D10 score gain was significant for males but not for females. Conclusions Our study reinforces the assertion that retirement could worsen depressive symptoms and could differ by gender. Intervention programs focused on the mental health of retired men need to be actively developed and widely implemented.