Adjustment to Retirement: The Moderating Role of Attachment Dikla Segel, Peter Bamberger
Introduction: Adjustment to Retirement Retirement has become a long and meaningful phase in the older adult s life (e.g: Wiatrowski, 2001). Encompasses many changes in lifestyle and requires adjustment Inconsistencies regarding the effect of retirement on well-being (positive effects, negative effects or no effects) and the factors shaping the adjustment process (Wang, 2007).
Existing Research and Research Gaps Research mainly focused on social attributes as predictors of adjustment (wealth, marital status, previous employment). Psychological variables and personality attributes have been relatively neglected (Wang & Shultz, 2009). Personality attributes may affect how the retirement transition is framed and thus condition the effects of changes experienced
This research: Aims: To reconcile research inconsistencies and fill research gaps by: Identifying boundary conditions Using a psychological framework attachment theory Attachment will condition the effects of changes experienced in retirement (focusing on changes in financial situation and social involvement) on well-being Longitudinal research design
Attachment Theory as a Key Personality Attribute Attachment is an innate behavioral system that functions to protect from danger by proximity seeking behaviors. It is shaped at infancy as a result of early interactions with the caregiver. Shapes later development of other personal attributes, shapes expectation and behaviors in personal relations, coping and adjustment capabilities. Two orthogonal dimensions underlie attachment style: avoidance and anxiety.
Attachment Style Attachment avoidance deactivation strategy Uncomfortable with dependence and closeness to others Emotionally distant and self reliant Suppress distress Avoid support seeking Attachment anxiety hyperactivation strategy Desire very close relations and seek proximity Depend on others for feelings of confidence and self-worth Make catastrophic evaluations of situation Dwell on negative emotions
Attachment Style Attachment avoidance deactivation strategy Uncomfortable with dependence and closeness to others Emotionally distant and self reliant Suppress distress Avoid support seeking Exposed to maladjustment Attachment anxiety - hyperactivation strategy Desire very close relations and seek proximity Depend on others for feelings of confidence and self-worth Make catastrophic evaluations of situation Dwell on negative emotions Exposed to maladjustment
Attachment Security: when attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are low Comfortable in close relationships Efficient in mobilizing and using social support Appraise situations in a benign way Sense of self-worth and high levels of self-esteem Perceive distress and manageable Relatively resilient to stressors Attachment security considered a valuable personal resource while attachment insecurities (avoidance and anxiety) are a burden.
Financial Situation in Retirement and Well-being Inconsistencies in research: some report no relation between financial situation or financial changes and well-being in retirement (e.g: Zimmerman, 2005); others do (Cummins, 2000). The moderating role of attachment: Attachment insecurity places the individual at a disadvantage when dealing with decline in income:
Anxiety Make catastrophic appraisals of situations. May perceive income decline as an acute threat and respond with elevated distress. Avoidance Income decline in retirement is (almost) inevitable and hence harms the ability to exert control and may lead to dependence. Thus, it may cause elevated distress.
H1: Attachment avoidance will moderate the relations between income decline and wellbeing, such that high levels of attachment avoidance will amplify the relation between income decline and well-being. H2: Attachment anxiety will moderate the relations between income decline and wellbeing, such that high levels of attachment avoidance will amplify the relation between income decline and well-being.
Involvement Changes and Attachment The transition to retirement may allow the elderly to give priority to desired activities. The ability to benefit from social involvement may be dependent on attachment style Attachment security allows one to develop adequate social skills and social self efficacy. It allows exploration of opportunities. The securely attached may be more able to benefit from new social roles and interactions.
Anxiety Avoidance may promote hyper-vigilance to rejection cues and perception of social interactions as negative may promote a perception of social interaction as unimportant and uninteresting
H3. Attachment anxiety will moderate the relation between increase in social involvement and well-being, such that high levels of attachment anxiety will weaken the relation between increased social involvement and well-being. H4: Attachment avoidance will moderate the relation between increase in social involvement and well-being, such that high levels of attachment avoidance will weaken the relation between increased social involvement and well-being.
Method T1 (2003):560 blue collar American workers Mean age 58 Time 2 (2008) 276 had retired Attachment: (T3) Time 3 (2010) 251 respondent Mean age 65 Changes in household income: T1-T2 Changes in involvement: T2-T1 Well-being (T3): Depression Psychosomatic complaints Health
Measurements Involvement: 5 forms of activities: family, religious org, educational and cultural org, charity & community, sports & recreation. Attachment: Experience in Close Relationship Scale (Brennan, Clark & Shaver, 1998). Well-being: Depression: CESD (Radloff, 1977) Psychosomatic complaints (Caplan,1975) Health: Number of diagnosed illnesses (National Institute on Aging) Analytical Procedure: linear regressions for depression and somatic complaints. Poisson regression for health.
Depression Somatic complaints Health B SE B SE B SE Income change.003.01.01.01.02.02 Involvement change -.03.04.05.04 -.13.08 Avoidance.001.03 -.00.03.07.06 Anxiety.15***.03.14***.03 -.07.06 Income*avoidance.03*.01.05***.01.07**.02 Income*anxiety -.001.02 -.04.01 -.03.03 Involve *avoidance -.08.05.00.05 -.03**.10 Involve *anxiety.14**.05.13**.05 -.12.10 R 2 0.42 0.40-2ll = 622** p<0.1 *p<0.05 **p<0.01 ***p<0.001
Number of illnesses Somatic complaints Depression low avoidance mean avoidance high avoidance 1.65 1.6 1.55 1.5 1.45 1.4 1.35 1 2 3 Decrease in income * low avoidance mean avoidance high avoidance 1.8 1.75 1.7 1.65 1.6 1.55 1.5 1.45 1.4 1.35 Decrease in income ** low avoidance mean avoidance high avoidance 2 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 Decrease in income **
Number of illnesses Somatic complaints Depression 2 low anxiety mean anxiety 1.5 1 * high anxiety 0.5 0 Increase in involvement low anxiety 2 1.5 ** mean anxiety 1 0.5 high anxiety 0 Increase in involvement low avoidance mean avoidance high avoidance 2 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 Increase in involvement **
Discussion and Conclusions The effects of changes experienced in retirement on well-being are conditioned by individuals attachment. Attachment anxiety and avoidance are boundary conditions for the effects of changes in income and involvement on well-being Income drop has negative effect on well-being only when attachment avoidance is high. Involvement contributes to well-being when attachment is relatively secure.
Income and Avoidance Decline in income may be perceived as uncontrollable and inevitable, thus destructive to those who are most reluctant to lose control and fear of dependence. Avoidant individuals tendency to suppress emotions and avoid coping with their distress may be especially ineffective and extremely resource demanding in the long run dealing with chronic stress. Alternative: Severe income decline may promote social withdrawal and aggravate avoidance tendencies. Attachment anxiety has no effect, perhaps due to the long time gaps.
Involvement and Attachment Increased social involvement decreases depression when anxiety is low or average. Increased social involvement when attachment anxiety is high results in elevated levels of psychosomatic complaints. High levels of anxiety are related to worries about rejection and abandonment. It poses individuals at risk for experiencing distress caused by social interactions and hinders the ability to benefit from it. Avoidant individuals are not as sensitive to social activities, more prone to experience physiological reactivity as a response to stress. Hence physical health is more adversely affected when avoidance is high, but not when anxiety is high.
Practical Implications and Limitations Help map populations in risk for experiencing difficulties in the adjustment process (those who may not benefit from involvement and may be distressed by income decline) Limitations and future research: Results may be similar for other losses and gains experienced in older adulthood. We only accounted for 2 independent variables. Other boundary conditions for adaptation to retirement. Additional measurements to account for both the short and long term effects.
Thank You! dikas@tx.technion.ac.il
Income Involvement Slope of income when avoidance is low Slope of income when avoidance is mean Slope of income when avoidance is high Slope of involvement when anxiety is low Slope of involvement when anxiety is mean Slope of involvement when anxiety is high Slope of involvement when avoidance is low Slope of involvement when avoidance is mean Slope of involvement when avoidance is high Depression somatic Health Estimate SE Estimate SE Estimate SE -0.03 0.16-0.02 0.01 -.05.03 0.005 0.01 0.02 0.009.02.02 0.04* 0.03.055** 0.02.08**.03-0.12* 0.06-0.04 0.02-0.02 0.04 0.06 0.04 0.08 0.06.16**.06 -.62**.12 -.12.08.12.12
Variable Mean SD 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 1)gender (1=male) 2)marital status (1=married) 3) retirement status (1=fully retired) 4) education 5) time retired 6)Age.63.48.72.45.23**.78.41.07.04 3.21 1.28 -.5*** -.14* -.08 1.61.84.15*.01 -.08 -.08 65.2 3.67.15*.04.25*** -.16 -.08 7) income change 1.14 2.51 -.06 8) involvement change 9) anxiety 10) avoidance -.24***.02 -.008 -.05.06.04.60 -.10.005 -.13*.03 -.01 -.223 -.04 2.44.89.12*.04.006 -.09.11 -.1 -.12 -.06 2.23.91.25*** -.06.14* -.12*.10.09 -.02 -.09.42*** 11) depressio 1.64.53 -.22** -.15* -.02.14*.11 -.11 -.03 -.07.19**.17** n T1 12) depressio 1.58.52 -.13* -.14* -.01.13*.14* -.10 -.03 -.07.34***.21***.57*** n T3 13) somatic - T1 1.67.51 -.07 -.05.17**.07.10 -.05 -.08.19**.10.78***.51***.24*** 14) somatic 1.61.46 -.15* -.008 -.016.13*.09 -.05.00.01.33***.12.45***.73***.55*** T3 15) health T1.92.92.12 -.02 -.11 -.06.06.04.08 -.13* -.04.03.11.06.16.11 16) health T3 1.22 1.08.17**.02 -.04 -.11.11.18**.09 -.15* -.06 -.06.10.07.09.12*.61***