Relationship between employment status and reported depressive disorders among older adults in the United States

By Eunji Choi, MPH, and Carly Levy, DHS, MPH, CPH

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Choi E, Levy C. Relationship between employment status and reported depressive disorders among older adults in the United States. HPHR. 2023;78. https://doi.org/10.54111/0001/ZZZ2

Relationship between employment status and reported depressive disorders among older adults in the United States

Abstract

Background

In response to major demographic shifts around the world, many specialists in a variety of professions have begun to investigate the implications. Some countries have raised their legal retirement age. This article investigated the relationship between depression and retirement of older adults (65 and older) in the United States.

Methods

A chi-square test and logistic regression were performed using the data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive.

Results

Results suggested a significant association between employment status and the prevalence of depression among older adults. Compared to unemployed or employed part-time groups, those who were employed full time were more likely to report having depressive disorders (p-Value < 0.05). Additionally, among those who were not in the workforce, students and those in non-competitive employment were less likely to have depressive disorders (p-Value < 0.05).

Discussion

Depressive disorders were the major mental health concerns for the older adult population. In the age group of 65 and older, those who are in the workforce reported a higher prevalence of depression compared to the unemployed group, including retirees. However, among the unemployed group, retirees were more likely to report having depression compared to students and individuals participating in non-competitive employment. However, this study faced many limitations, including non-inclusive data and unspecified variables. Thus, future studies are needed.

Conclusion

As the legal retirement age increases, communities and institutions should continue to study its potential impact on the well-being of older adults and seek ways to promote healthy aging and elder-friendly communities.

Introduction

The global demography has been aging rapidly.1 In the United States, the population age 65 or older has been rising since 1920.2 There was a sharp uptake from 2010 to 2020 when baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) started turning 65.2 The most recognized contributing factors to the increased proportion of adults who are 65 or older were declining fertility rates, increasing life expectancy, and aging population cohorts.1 The imbalance in the demography continues; as fertility rates keep declining, fewer people will grow up to join the youth cohort.1 As this pattern keeps up, the U.S. Census Bureau3 has projected that the older adult population cohort will outnumber the younger population cohort by 2034.

Population aging and retirement

With this significant demographic shift, experts have begun to investigate its impact on the workforce and pension system.4 Population aging indicates the shrinking labor force as more workers exit the labor market than enter.1,4 This decline in workforce participation is expected to put stress on economic growth and social security systems due to the imbalance between future tax payers and tax recipients.1,4  In response to these potential challenges, some countries, such as Greece, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States have raised the legal retirement age.1,5,6 According to the United States Social Security Administration,6 an individual can start receiving their Social Security retirement benefits at 62. However, this is not their full benefit retirement age. 6 To be eligible for the full benefit, individuals need to reach their full retirement age, which depends on the year they were born. 6 For instance, for those who were born in 1958, the full retirement age is 66 years and 6 months, and for those who were born in 1960 or later, it would be 67 years.6

Retirement and health

Retirement can bring significant changes to multiple aspects of individuals’ lives such as changes to daily routines, social interactions, income, and both mental and physical health.7 Thus, understanding retirement’s impact on health would be crucial to promote healthy aging as multiple countries are on trend of increasing their legal retirement age.1,5,6

 

This present paper will focus on depression among older adults to further investigate previous studies on the relationship between retirement and depression. Li et al8 found a longitudinal association between retirement and higher risk of depression by performing the meta-analysis on 25 longitudinal studies. Further, another meta-analysis involving 9 articles (n=360) from mainly the United States showed a 28% rate of depression among retirees, suggesting a significant part of the retired population may have depression.9

 

While there were studies suggesting the negative impact of retirement on mental health,8,9 other studies suggested positive impacts. Handley et al10 studied the impact of retirement on participants’ self-reported physical health, daily functioning, mental health, and satisfaction with life in a rural part of Australia. While the results suggested no significant difference in physical health or everyday functioning between employed and retired participants, the retired participants reported significantly higher scores for mental health and satisfaction with life.10 From Japan, Oshio and Kan11 compared 9283 individuals’ health indicators and behaviors 5 years before and after retirement. They discovered a pattern of increase in leisure-time physical activity and a decrease in psychological distress after the retirement in both male and female participants.11

 

In response to the increased legal retirement age, its impact on healthy aging should be further investigated. However, there have been few such studies done in the United States. Thus, this paper investigated the potential relationship between retirement and its impact on mental health. The focused area of mental health was depression to further the previous studies indicating the increased risk of depression among retirees.8,9 As part of this study, the mental health diagnosis among older adults in the United States was also explored, in addition to comparing the prevalence of depression among older adults in the United States based on their employment status.

 

Retirement can bring significant changes to multiple aspects of individuals’ lives such as changes to daily routines, social interactions, income, and both mental and physical health.7 Thus, understanding retirement’s impact on health would be crucial to promote healthy aging as multiple countries are on trend of increasing their legal retirement age.1,5,6

 

This present paper will focus on depression among older adults to further investigate previous studies on the relationship between retirement and depression. Li et al8 found a longitudinal association between retirement and higher risk of depression by performing the meta-analysis on 25 longitudinal studies. Further, another meta-analysis involving 9 articles (n=360) from mainly the United States showed a 28% rate of depression among retirees, suggesting a significant part of the retired population may have depression.9

 

While there were studies suggesting the negative impact of retirement on mental health,8,9 other studies suggested positive impacts. Handley et al10 studied the impact of retirement on participants’ self-reported physical health, daily functioning, mental health, and satisfaction with life in a rural part of Australia. While the results suggested no significant difference in physical health or everyday functioning between employed and retired participants, the retired participants reported significantly higher scores for mental health and satisfaction with life.10 From Japan, Oshio and Kan11 compared 9283 individuals’ health indicators and behaviors 5 years before and after retirement. They discovered a pattern of increase in leisure-time physical activity and a decrease in psychological distress after the retirement in both male and female participants.11

 

In response to the increased legal retirement age, its impact on healthy aging should be further investigated. However, there have been few such studies done in the United States. Thus, this paper investigated the potential relationship between retirement and its impact on mental health. The focused area of mental health was depression to further the previous studies indicating the increased risk of depression among retirees.8,9 As part of this study, the mental health diagnosis among older adults in the United States was also explored, in addition to comparing the prevalence of depression among older adults in the United States based on their employment status.

Methods

Peer-reviewed journal articles were retrieved from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ databases using key terms such as global aging, retirement, physical activity, and mental health among older adults. Studies published before 2014 were excluded from the literature review.

 

The data used in this research was obtained from the Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 2021. This annual report was generated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the State Mental Health Agencies (SMHAs). The report contained data such as the number of clients who received publicly funded mental health treatments in 2021 in the United States.12 The data from following states were excluded by SAMHSA due to insufficient data: American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Florida, Guam, Maine, Marshall Islands, Ohio, South Dakota, U.S. Virgin Islands.12

 

For this research, only limited data collected by SAMHSA were used: age, gender, employment status, reports on depressive disorder and more. (Table 1) These selected data were analyzed by the statistical software, Stata, 18.0 BE-Basic Edition. Among the total participants in SAMHSA, 5.80% (377,581) were 65 years of age and older (146,297 males, 228,965 females, and 2,319 unknowns). (Table 2) A Pearson’s chi-squared test and logistic regression were performed to compare prevalence of depressive disorders among the two groups, retired vs. non-retired, among the population 65 years of age and older. Any missing and invalid data were excluded from the data analyzing process.

Results

Table 1. Demographics

Sex

Frequencies (Percent) 

Male

146,297 (38.99)

Female

228,965 (61.01)

Total

375,262 (100.00) 

Race

Frequencies (Percent) 

American Indian/ Alaska Native Asian

4,790 (1.43) 

Asian

8,595 (2.56) 

Black or African American

61,032 (18.19)

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Island White

682 (0.20) 

White

238,959 (71.23)

Some other race along/ two or more races

21,410 (6.38)

Total

335,468 (100.00) 

Marital status  

Frequencies (Percent) 

Never married  

80,305 (33.60)

 Now married 

56,405 (23.60) 

Separated 

14,914 (6.24)

Divorced, windowed 

87,350 (36.55) 

Total 

238,974 (100.00) 

Education  

Frequencies (Percent) 

Special education

2,108 (1.04)

 0 to 8

26,601 (13.12)

9 to 11

26,303 (12.97)

12 (GED) 

91,377 (45.05)

More than 12 

56,438 (27.83) 

Total 

202,827 (100.00) 

Number of mental health diagnoses reported  

Frequencies (Percent) 

0

58,948 (15.61)

1

204,754 (54.23)

2

97,274 (25.76)

3

16,605 (4.40) 

Total 

377,581 (100.00) 

Mental health diagnosis  

Frequencies 

Trauma- and stressor-related disorders  

27,781 (8.72)

 Anxiety disorders 

32,521(10.21)

Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder 

976(0.31)

Conduct disorders

399(0.13)

Delirium, dementia

9,877(3.10)

Bipolar disorders

34,326(10.77)

Depressive disorders

101,753(31.93)

Oppositional defiant disorders

84(0.03)

Pervasive developmental disorders 

274(0.09)

Personality disorders 

2,897(0.91)

Schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder

73,298(23.00)

Alcohol or substance use disorders 

10,056(3.16)

Other disorders/ conditions 

24,391(7.65)

Total 

318,633(100.00)

Employment status  

Frequencies 

Full-time  

4,140 (2.85)

Part-time

4,305(2.96)

In working force (full-time and part-time was not recorded) 

2,386(1.64)

Unemployed (actively looking for jobs) 

18,292(12.60)

Not in labor force (had not been looking for jobs in the past 30 days) 

116,077(79.

94)

Total 

145,200 (100.00)

 Employment Reasons  

Frequencies 

Retired, disabled

85,895 (74.00)

Student 

417 (0.36)

Homemaker

1,614 (1.39)

Shelter/non-competitive employment 

692 (0.60)

Other

27,459 (23.66)

Total 

116,077 (100.00)

Depressive disorder  

Frequencies 

Not reported

257,194 (68.12)

Reported 

120,387 (31.88)

Total

377,581 (100.00)

Adapted from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 202112

This table includes data on gender, race, marital status, educational attainment, number of mental health diagnoses, current first mental diagnosis during the reporting year, employment status, reasons for not being in labor force, and total number of reported depressive disorders, including the first, second, or third mental health diagnosis distribution among 65 years or older, excluding missing Missing/unknown/not collected/ invalid data.

Table 2. Reported age groups from Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD), 2021. 

Age groups

Frequencies

Percent 

0-11 years

810,055

12.45

12-14 years

466,637

7.17

15-17 years 

476,192

7.32

18-20 years

318,318

4.89

21-24 years 

383,151

5.89

25-29 years

576,483

8.86

30-34 years

587,924

9.03

35-39 years 

524,808

8.06

40-44 years 

446,163

6.85

45-49 years 

388,432

8.86

50-54 years 

406,019

6.24

55-59 years 

413,454

6.35

60-64 years 

327,152

5.03

65 years and older 

377,581

5.80

Missing/unknown/ invalid 

6,656

0.10

Total

6,509,025

100.00

Adapted from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 202112

Table 3. Pearson’s chi-squared test: reported depressive disorder vs. Gender, excluding missing Missing/unknown/not collected/ invalid data. – Among 65 years or older.

Depressive disorder reported

Sex

Total

Male

Female

Disorder not reported

107,625

643.4

147,905

411.1

255,530

1054.5

Disorder Reported

38,672

1373.1

81,060

877.3

119,732

2250.5

Total

146,297

2016.5

228,965

1288.4

375,262

3304.9

Pearson chi2(1) = 3.3e+03

Pr = 0.000v

Derived from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 202112, using Stata, 18.0 BE-Basic Edition

Table 4. Pearson’s chi-squared test: reported depressive disorder vs. Race, excluding missing Missing/unknown/not collected/ invalid data. – Among 65 years or older.

Depressive disorder reported

Race

Total

American

Asian

Black or African American

Native Hawaiian

White

Some other

Disorder not reported

3,263

0.0

5,483

23.2

44,703

239.6

410

6.3

160,379

32.4

14,135

13.3

228,373

314.7

Disorder Reported

1,527

0.0

3,112

49.4

16,329

510.8

272

13.5

78,580

69.0

7,275

28.3

107,095

671.1

Total

4,790

0.0

8,595

72.6

61,032

750.4

682

19.9

238,959

101.4

21,410

41.6

335,468

985.8

Pearson chi2 (5) = 985.8475

Pr = 0.000

Derived from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 202112, using Stata, 18.0 BE-Basic Edition

Table 5. Pearson’s chi-squared test: reported depressive disorder vs. Employment status, excluding missing Missing/unknown/not collected/ invalid data. – Among 65 years or older.

Depressive disorder reported

Competitive employment status (aged 16 years and older)

Total

Full-time

Part-time

Employed (full-time or part-time)

Unemployed

Not in labor force

Disorder not reported

2,324

2,656

1,614

11,939

71,646

 

90,179

Disorder Reported

1,816

1,649

772

6,353

44,431

 

55,021

Total

4,140

4,305

2,386

18,292

116,077

 

145,200

Pearson chi2 (4) = 179.1220

Pr=0.000

Derived from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 202112, using Stata, 18.0 BE-Basic Edition

Table 6. Binary logistic regression test with a baseline = full-time: reported depressive disorder vs. Employment status, excluding missing Missing/unknown/not collected/ invalid data. – Among 65 years or older

 

Number of obs = 145,200

LR chi2 (4) = 179.61

Prob > chi2 = 0.0000

Log likelihood = -96256.076

Pseudo R2 = 0.0009

Depressive disorder reported

Odds ratio

Std. err.

Z

P > | z |

[95% conf.

interval]

Employment status

 

Part-time

0.7945347

0.0352104

-5.19

0.000

0.7284357

0.8666316

Employed (full-time or part-time)

0.6121164

0.03294

-9.12

0.000

0.5508433

0.6802053

Unemployed

0.680975

0.0238061

-10.99

0.000

0.6358786

0.7292697

Not in labor force

0.7936233

0.0253142

-7.25

0.000

0.7455275

0.8448219

_cons

0.7814114

0.0244739

-7.88

0.000

0.7348859

0.8308823

Baseline = full-time

Derived from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 202112, using Stata, 18.0 BE-Basic Edition

Table 7. Pearson’s chi-squared test: reported depressive disorder vs. detailed Not in work force status, excluding missing Missing/unknown/not collected/ invalid data. – Among 65 years or older

Depressive disorder reported

Competitive employment status (aged 16 years and older)

Total

Retired

Student

Homemaker

Sheltered

Other

Disorder not reported

52,244

317

881

551

17,653

71,646

Disorder Reported

33,651

100

733

141

9,806

44,431

Total

85,895

417

1,614

692

27,459

116,077

Pearson chi2 (4) = 270.6875

Pr = 0.000

Derived from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 202112, using Stata, 18.0 BE-Basic Edition

Table 8. Binary logistic regression test with a baseline = Retired/disabled: reported depressive disorder vs. Detailed Not in work force status, excluding missing Missing/unknown/not collected/ invalid data. – Among 65 years or older

 

Number of obs = 145,200

LR chi2 (4) = 179.6

Prob > chi2 = 0.0000

Log likelihood = -77097.148

Pseudo R2 = 0.0018

Depressive disorder reported

Odds ratio

Std. err.

Z

P > | z |

[95% conf.

interval]

Detailed ‘not in labor force’ category

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student

0.4897555

0.0562759

-6.21

0.000

0.3909949

0.613462

Homemaker

1.291714

0.0652052

5.07

0.000

1.170033

1.42605

Non-competitive employment

0.3972908

0.0375979

-9.75

0.000

0.3300308

0.4782583

Other

0.8624061

0.0124224

-10.28

0.000

0.8383992

0.8871004

_cons (estimates baseline odds)

0.6441122

0.0045022

-62.93

0.000

0.6353482

0.6529972

Baseline = Retired

Among 377,581 subjects who were 65 or older, 31.9% (120,387) reported having a depressive disorder. 15.6% (58,948) reported not having any mental health diagnoses while 54.2% (204,754) reported having 1 mental health diagnosis and 25.8% (97,274) reported having 2 mental health diagnoses. Depressive disorders made up the highest percentage of the client’s first mental diagnosis, at 31.9%, (101,753), followed by Schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, at 23.0% (73,298). (Table 1)

 

Excluding missing or invalid data, 145,200 subjects’ employment status was studied. The percentages for full-time and part-time were 2.85% (4,140) and 3.96% (4,305), respectively. 12.6% (18,292) were unemployed while actively looking for jobs. (Table 1) The majority, 79.9% (116,077), were not in the labor force, indicating that they have not been actively looking for jobs in the past 30 days. (Table 1)

 For those who were not in the labor force, 74.0% (85,895) was retired or disabled and 23.7% (27,459) of “other”. The rest were 1.39% (1,614) of homemaker, 0.60% (692) of shelter/non-competitive employment, and 036% (417) of student. (Table 1)

 

The Pearson’s chi-squared test was performed to test relationships between reported depressive disorder and subjects’ gender and race. The results showed a p-value of less than 0.05. (Table 3,4) The Pearson’s chi-squared test was performed to test a potential relationship between employment status and reported depressive disorder. The results yielded a p-value less than 0.05, suggesting a statistically significant relationship between employment status and reported depressive disorders. (Table 5) Further, a binary logistic regression test was performed to investigate the direction of the relationship between employment status and reported depressive disorder. The odds ratio for full-time (a constant), part-time, employment type not differentiated, unemployed, and not in the labor force were 0.78, 0.79, 0.61, 0.68, and 0.79 in the order given. For all variables, the p-values were less than 0.05. (Table 6)

 

The Pearson’s chi-square test was done to study a potential relationship between detailed not-in-the-work force status and reported depressive disorder. The results showed a p-value less than 0.05, indicating a statistically significant relationship between detailed not in the labor force status and reported depressive disorder. (Table 7) A binary logistic regression test was performed to investigate the direction of the relationships. The odds ratio for constant, retired/disabled, was 0.64 with a p-value less than 0.05. The odds ratios for other variables were student (0.49), homemaker (1.29), shelter/non-competitive employment (0.40), and other (0.86). The P-values for all variables were less than 0.05. (Table 8)

Discussion

Major findings

Results suggested that depressive disorders are major mental health concerns among the older adult population and indicated that most clients who were 65 or older were not in the work force, and the primary reason was retirement and disability. When the impact of employment status on mental health of 65 or older clients studied, a significant relationship was observed. Those who held full-time jobs were significantly more likely to have depressive disorders when compared to those who were part-time, unspecified employed (full/part time), unemployed, and not in the labor force. Further, there was a significant association between reported depressive disorders and detailed not-in-the-workforce status. Compared to the retired/disabled group, subjects in groups of students, sheltered/non-competitive employment, and “others” were less likely to report having depressive disorders. However, the homemaker group was more likely to report having depressive disorders.

 

Unlike the previous study suggesting a higher risk of depression among retirees,8,9 the results of this study yielded the opposite conclusion. Those who retired were less likely to report having depressive disorders. These findings may agree with studies done by Handley et al10 and Oshio and Kan11 reporting higher scores for mental health and a decrease in psychological distress after their retirement.

Implications

According to the significant relationship between the impact of employment status and mental health observed in this study, the countries attempt to increase the legal retirement age may not be effective methods to prepare for challenges related to aging demographics. Older adults 65 or older who held full-time jobs were more likely to report having depressive disorders than other forms of employment or unemployment. Thus, raising the legal retirement age may relieve the financial aspect of the aging demographic, but it would not be an ideal approach when the goal is to promote healthier aging along with a lively economy. A significant difference within the not-in-the-workforce status highlighted the importance of establishing socially engaging communities for elders. Those who were not actively looking for jobs showed a significantly less likelihood of reporting depressive disorders compared to those with full-time employment. However, looking closely at the subgroups of not-in-the-workforce, those who showed regular social and cognitive engagement, such as student or shelter/non-competitive employment, were significantly less likely to report having depressive disorders. Therefore, this may suggest that building more engaging communities for elders could potentially play an important role in keeping the older adult demographic healthier.

Limitation

The data was retrieved from the Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 2021. The subjects of MH-CLD were those who had received mental health treatment services that were affiliated with state mental health agencies (SMHAs). Thus, the data used for this study did not include those who sought private mental health resources. Additionally, the data set did not contain populations who were 65 or older and had not needed any mental health treatments.

 

A variable such as “other” had not been specified but showed statistical significance when studying the relationship between detailed-not-in-the-workforce and reported depressive disorders. Further, as the data set did not contain other factors such as income level, chronic conditions, and social isolation, potential confounding variables had not been considered.

Future Research

Future research should be conducted to further investigate the relationship between the employment status, race, and gender of older adults and their mental health. Significant relationships were detected between depressive disorders and race and gender. However, the directionality had not been studied. The new research should include a data set of the overall older adults’ population in the United States, including both state-run and privately funded mental health facilities and those who have not yet needed any mental health resources. Future research should investigate other cofounding variables that may influence the mental health of the targeted population, such as their income and education level, overall health, conditions of their workplaces, and social connections.

 

Additionally, the data set categorized homemakers as not in the labor force. Although the homemakers may not be financially compensated for their work, it could be essential to investigate their role and its impact on their mental health by further studying it in relation to their work hours, expected physical and mental demands, and social life.

 

This paper does not discuss a potential relationship between depression and increased risk of chronic illness. Future research should investigate the potential relationship and how this relationship would impact the nation’s health care spending.

Conclusion

The world has been experiencing a significant shift in demography.1 To prepare for potential challenges from this phenomenon, countries began to raise the legal retirement age 1,5 Yet, there seemed to be insufficient data available on how this change may affect the well-being of the older adult population. Delaying retirement could potentially put older adults in a vulnerable position, forcing them to prioritize work over their overall health. Thus, this paper investigated the potential relationship between employment status and the mental well-being of older adults. The findings from this study suggested that increasing the legal retirement age may not be the optimal solution to combat the economic challenges while simultaneously promoting healthier communities. According to this study, those who were 65 or older with full-time jobs were more likely to report having depressive disorders than those who had part-time jobs or were not in employment. Furthermore, among those who were not in the workforce, people who had other commitments, such as being a student or involved in a non-competitive work force, were less likely to report having depressive disorders, except for the homemakers. Future research is necessary, but these findings propose that the establishment of an elder-friendly community, where society fosters social interaction and ongoing education for elders, could be beneficial. For this reason, a continuous collaborative effort should be made to assure health equity among the growing older adult population.

Disclosure Statement

The author(s) have no relevant financial disclosures or conflicts of interest.

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About the Author

Eunji Choi, MPH

Eunji Choi obtained a Master of Public Health from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in May 2024. Her academic interests include population aging and substance use disorders.

Carly Levy, DHS, MPH, CPH