Abstract

Objectives: Over the last decade, an increasing number of empirical studies have examined long-term patterns of depression among adults around retirement age and identified employment status as a crucial determinant. However, most research has examined associations between cross-sectional measures of employment and prospective depression patterns, overlooking the changing nature of employment statuses, particularly close to retirement age. Furthermore, most knowledge in this field comes from studies conducted in developed countries in Western Europe and North America. To address these gaps, this study examined simultaneous trajectories in the employment and depressive symptom domains among two age groups of Chileans before and after the standard retirement age.

Method: Using population-representative data and longitudinal statistical methods, we identified different trajectory types among two age groups (one aged 56–65 and another aged 66–75, at baseline) and characterized them according to social and health characteristics.

Results: We found that trajectories defined by permanent employment were accompanied by lower depressive symptoms than trajectories indicating either retirement or inactivity. However, trajectories combining employment and the absence of depressive symptoms were primarily followed by individuals with advantaged health and social statuses at the baseline.

Conclusion: Public policies aimed at promoting the mental health of older adults through their labor market integration risk forcing individuals who have accumulated social and health disadvantages across the life course to work longer.

摘要

目标：在过去十年中，越来越多的实证研究检验了成年人在退休年龄附近的长期抑郁模式，并将就业状况确定为一个关键的决定因素。然而，大多数研究都检查了就业的横截面测量与预期抑郁模式之间的关联，忽略了就业状况的变化性质，特别是接近退休年龄。此外，该领域的大部分知识来自于在西欧和北美发达国家进行的研究。为了解决这些差距，本研究检查了两个年龄组智利人在标准退休年龄之前和之后的就业和抑郁症状领域的同时轨迹。

方法：使用具有人口代表性的数据和纵向统计方法，我们确定了两个年龄组（基线时一个 56-65 岁和另一个 66-75 岁）的不同轨迹类型，并根据社会和健康特征对其进行了表征。

结果：我们发现，与表明退休或不活动的轨迹相比，由长期就业定义的轨迹伴随着较低的抑郁症状。然而，结合就业和没有抑郁症状的轨迹主要由基线时具有良好健康和社会地位的个人遵循。

结论：旨在通过劳动力市场一体化促进老年人心理健康的公共政策可能会迫使在整个生命过程中积累社会和健康劣势的个人工作更长时间。