Mortality in relation to early retirement in Denmark: a population-based study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Gerontology
• Sociology

Background:

• Investigating the health impacts of early retirement schemes is crucial for public health policy.
• Danish retirement schemes, disability benefit (førtidspension) and early retirement benefit (efterløn), offer distinct pathways linked to health and employment history.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if poor health leads to early retirement or if retirement itself causes adverse health changes.
• To analyze mortality risks associated with two distinct Danish retirement schemes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Danish population-based register data from 1986-1996.
• Focused on individuals born between 1926 and 1936 within the Danish population.

Main Results:

• Disability benefit recipients exhibited significantly higher mortality ratios (2.31 for men, 1.66 for women) compared to employed individuals (0.59 for men, 0.51 for women).
• Early retirement benefit recipients showed intermediate mortality ratios (0.88 for men, 0.72 for women).
• A high relative risk of death was observed immediately after disability benefit retirement, with increasing risk over time for early retirement recipients.

Conclusions:

• Disability benefits are predominantly awarded to individuals with pre-existing poor health.
• The rising mortality among early retirement recipients suggests potential adverse health effects of retirement itself.
• It remains challenging to differentiate between retirement-induced health changes and pre-retirement health selection into benefit schemes.