We assessed the association between work status beyond state pension age (SPA) and the long-term trajectories of cognitive and mental health for men and women separately, and the extent to which this relationship is conditioned by their occupational status and whether the choice to retire or continue working is voluntary or involuntary. Data are pensioners (aged between SPA and SPA + 9) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing waves 4 (2008/09) through 9 (2018/19). The analytic sample includes 959 men and 1217 women when considering cognitive outcomes and 1131 men and 1434 women when evaluating depression. Findings based on growth curve models reveal that, compared to women who retired at SPA and without any particular reason, their peers who retired due to frailing health reported a more precipitous decline in memory over time (coefficient = −0.10). However, analysis stratified by occupation shows that this association between ill-health retirement and long-term memory decline was concentrated among older women of the highest occupational status. We also found that men who retired or worked past SPA voluntarily reported a better baseline verbal fluency and were less likely to report depression over time (coefficient for work = 0.80; coefficient for retired = 0.87). Women who worked past SPA voluntarily were less likely to report depression at baseline (OR = 0.53). Policies that extend work life should offer older people more personal control over decision surrounding retirement.

我们分别评估了男性和女性超过国家养老金年龄（SPA）的工作状况与认知和心理健康的长期轨迹之间的关联，以及这种关系在多大程度上受其职业状况以及是否选择退休的影响。或继续工作是自愿或非自愿的。数据来自英国老龄化纵向研究第 4 波（2008/09）至第 9 波（2018/19）的养老金领取者（年龄在 SPA 和 SPA + 9 之间）。考虑认知结果时，分析样本包括 959 名男性和 1217 名女性；评估抑郁症时，分析样本包括 1131 名男性和 1434 名女性。基于增长曲线模型的研究结果表明，与在 SPA 无任何特殊原因退休的女性相比，因健康状况不佳而退休的同龄人的记忆力随着时间的推移急剧下降（系数 = -0.10）。然而，按职业分层的分析表明，健康状况不佳的退休与长期记忆力下降之间的这种关联集中在职业地位最高的老年女性中。我们还发现，退休或工作过 SPA 的男性自愿报告了更好的基线言语流利度，并且随着时间的推移报告抑郁症的可能性较小（工作系数 = 0.80；退休系数 = 0.87）。自愿完成 SPA 的女性在基线时报告抑郁症的可能性较小（OR = 0.53）。延长工作寿命的政策应该让老年人对退休决策有更多的个人控制权。