Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hao, Y.
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Hao, Y.
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 63:S64-S72 (2008)
© 2008 The Gerontological Society of America


RESEARCH ARTICLE

Productive Activities and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Adults

Yanni Hao

Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Illinois.

Address correspondence to Yanni Hao, University of Chicago, Department of Sociology, 1126 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637. E-mail: yanni{at}uchicago.edu

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to test whether paid work and formal volunteering reduce the rate of mental health decline in later life.

Methods. Using four waves of Health and Retirement Study data collected from a sample of 7,830 individuals aged 55 to 66, I estimated growth curve models to assess the effects of productive activities on mental health trajectories. The analytical strategy took into account selection processes when examining the beneficial effects of activities. The analyses also formally attended to the sample attrition problem inherent in longitudinal studies.

Results. The results indicated that activity participants generally had better mental health at the beginning of the study. Full-time employment and low-level volunteering had independent protective effects against decline in psychological well-being. Joint participants of both productive activities enjoyed a slower rate of mental health decline than single-activity participants.

Discussion. The results are consistent with activity theory and further confirm the role accumulation perspective. The finding that full-time work combined with low-level volunteering is protective of mental health reveals the complementary effect of volunteering to formal employment. Methodological and theoretical implications are discussed.

Key Words: Productive activities • Psychological well-being







HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals The Gerontologist
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Copyright © 2008 by The Gerontological Society of America.