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The Mental Health Effects of Retirement

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  • Jan van Ours

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Matteo Picchio

    (March Polytechnic University)

Abstract

We study the retirement effects on mental health using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design based on the eligibility age to the state pension in the Netherlands. We find that the mental effects are heterogeneous by gender and marital status. Retirement of partnered men positively affects mental health of both themselves and their partners. Single men retiring experience a drop in mental health. Female retirement has hardly any effect on their own mental health or the mental health of their partners. Part of the effects seem to be driven by loneliness after retirement.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan van Ours & Matteo Picchio, 2019. "The Mental Health Effects of Retirement," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-081/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20190081
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    Cited by:

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    2. Julien Bergeot & Roméo Fontaine, 2020. "The heterogeneous effect of retirement on informal care behavior," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(10), pages 1101-1116, October.
    3. Mattia Filomena & Matteo Picchio, 2023. "Retirement and health outcomes in a meta‐analytical framework," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 1120-1155, September.
    4. Salm, Martin & Siflinger, Bettina & Xie, Mingjia, 2021. "The Effect of Retirement on Mental Health: Indirect Treatment Effects and Causal Mediation," Other publications TiSEM e28efa7f-8219-437c-a26d-2, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    5. Joe Spearing, 2024. "The effect of retirement eligibility on mental health in the United Kingdom: Heterogeneous effects by occupation," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(8), pages 1621-1648, August.
    6. Jan C. van Ours, 2022. "How Retirement Affects Mental Health, Cognitive Skills and Mortality; An Overview of Recent Empirical Evidence," De Economist, Springer, vol. 170(3), pages 375-400, August.
    7. Nathan Kettlewell & Jack Lam, 2022. "Retirement, social support and mental well-being: a couple-level analysis," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(3), pages 511-535, April.
    8. Johannes Geyer & Mara Barschkett & Peter Haan & Anna Hammerschmid, 2023. "The effects of an increase in the retirement age on health care costs: evidence from administrative data," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 24(7), pages 1101-1120, September.
    9. van Ours, Jan C., 2020. "What a drag it is getting old? Mental health and loneliness beyond age 50," CEPR Discussion Papers 15438, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Barschkett, Mara & Geyer, Johannes & Haan, Peter & Hammerschmid, Anna, 2022. "The effects of an increase in the retirement age on health — Evidence from administrative data," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    11. Clémentine Garrouste & Elsa Perdrix, 2022. "Is there a consensus on the health consequences of retirement? A literature review," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 841-879, September.
    12. Steve Briand, 2020. "Beyond the direct impact of retirement: coordination by couples in preventive and risky behaviors," Working Papers hal-02467440, HAL.
    13. Austen, Siobhan & Kalsi, Jaslin Kaur & Mavisakalyan, Astghik, 2022. "Retirement and the distribution of intra-household wellbeing," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    14. Jan C. van Ours, 2021. "What a drag it is getting old? Mental health and loneliness beyond age 50," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(31), pages 3563-3576, July.
    15. Rutten, Albert, 2023. "Essays on work and retirement," Other publications TiSEM 078adee5-770b-417b-b7c1-a, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Retirement; health; regression discontinuity design;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination

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