dikla segel, peter bamberger adjustment to retirement: the moderating role of attachment
TRANSCRIPT
Dikla Segel, Peter Bamberger
Adjustment to Retirement:The Moderating Role of Attachment
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 conditionsUsing a psychological framework –
attachment theoryAttachment 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
Attachment anxiety – hyperactivation strategy
Uncomfortable with dependence and closeness to others
Emotionally distant and self reliant
Suppress distressAvoid support seeking
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
Attachment anxiety - hyperactivation strategy
Uncomfortable with dependence and closeness to others
Emotionally distant and self reliant
Suppress distressAvoid support seeking
Exposed to maladjustment
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 waySense of self-worth and high levels of self-
esteem Perceive distress and manageableRelatively 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:
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.
Make catastrophic appraisals of
situations. May perceive income
decline as an acute threat and respond
with elevated distress.
Anxiety Avoidance
H1: Attachment avoidance will moderate the relations between income decline and well-being, 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 well-being, 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 styleAttachment 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.
may promote a perception of
social interaction as unimportant
and uninteresting
may promote hyper-vigilance
to rejection cues and perception
of social interactions as
negative
Anxiety Avoidance
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
Changes in household
income: T1-T2
Changes in involvement:
T2-T1
Well-being (T3):
•Depression•Psychosomatic complaints •Health
Attachment: (T3)
T1 (2003):560 blue collar American workersMean age 58
Time 2 (2008)276 had retired
Time 3 (2010)251 respondent Mean age 65
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
R2 0.42 0.40 -2ll = 622**
†p<0.1 *p<0.05 **p<0.01 ***p<0.001
1 2 31.35
1.41.45
1.51.55
1.61.65
low avoidance
mean avoidance
high avoidance
Decrease in income
Dep
ress
ion
1.351.4
1.451.5
1.551.6
1.651.7
1.751.8
low avoidance
mean avoidance
high avoidance
Decrease in income
Som
atic
com
plai
nts †
00.20.40.60.8
11.21.41.61.8
2
low avoidance
mean avoidance
high avoidance
Decrease in income
Num
ber o
f ill
ness
es
*
**
**
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
low anx-iety mean anx-iety
Increase in involvementD
e-
pre
s-sio
n
*†
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
low anxietymean anx-iety high anxiety
Increase in involvement
Som
atic
com
plai
nts
00.20.40.60.8
11.21.41.61.8
2
low avoidancemean avoidancehigh avoidance
Increase in involvement
Num
ber o
f ill
ness
es
**
**
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 AvoidanceDecline 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.
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.
Involvement and Attachment
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.
Depression somatic Health Estimate SE Estimate SE Estimate SE
IncomeSlope of income when avoidance is low
-0.03† 0.16 -0.02 0.01 -.05 .03
Slope of income when avoidance is mean
0.005 0.01 0.02† 0.009 .02 .02
Slope of income when avoidance is high
0.04* 0.03 .055** 0.02 .08** .03
Involvement Slope of involvement when anxiety is low
-0.12* 0.06 -0.04 0.02
Slope of involvement when anxiety is mean
-0.02† 0.04 0.06 0.04
Slope of involvement when anxiety is high
0.08 0.06 .16** .06
Slope of involvement when avoidance is low
-.62** .12
Slope of involvement when avoidance is mean
-.12 .08
Slope of involvement when avoidance is high
.12 .12
VariableMea
nSD 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) .63 .48
2)marital status (1=married)
.72 .45 .23**
3) retirementstatus (1=fully retired)
.78 .41 .07 .04
4) education 3.21 1.28 -.5**
*-.14* -.08
5) time retired 1.61 .84 .15* .01 -.08 -.08
6)Age65.2 3.67 .15* .04
.25***
-.16 -.08
7) income change 1.14 2.51 -.06
-.24***
.02 -.008 -.05 .06
8) involvement change
.04 .60 -.10† .005 -.13* .03 -.01 -.223 -.04
9) anxiety 2.44 .89 .12* .04 .006 -.09 .11† -.1 -.12† -.06
10) avoidance 2.23 .91 .25**
*-.06 .14* -.12* .10 .09 -.02 -.09
.42***
11) depression T1 1.64 .53 -.22*
*-.15* -.02 .14* .11† -.11† -.03 -.07 .19** .17**
12) depression T3 1.58 .52 -.13* -.14* -.01 .13* .14* -.10 -.03 -.07
.34***
.21***
.57***
13) somatic T1 1.67 .51 -.24*
**-.07 -.05 .17** .07 .10 -.05 -.08 .19** .10
.78***
.51***
14) somatic T3 1.61 .46 -.15* -.008 -.016 .13* .09 -.05 .00 .01
.33***
.12†.45**
*.73**
*.55**
*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***