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Depression and early retirement: prospective population based study in middle aged men
M Karpansalo1, J Kauhanen, T A Lakka
1Department of Public Health and General Practice, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1927, 70120 Kuopio, Finland. minna.karpansalo@medivire.fi
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
|December 16, 2004
Summary
High depression scores predict disability pensions, especially for mental disorders and non-illness reasons. Depressed men retired 1.5 years earlier than their non-depressed counterparts.
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Psychiatry
- Public health
Background:
- Mental depression is a significant global health issue.
- It negatively impacts work productivity and is a leading cause of early retirement.
- Understanding depression's link to retirement is crucial for public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between depression and the risk of disability retirement.
- To examine the relationship between depression and different causes of disability pensions.
- To determine if depression influences the age of retirement.
Main Methods:
- A Finnish cohort of 1726 men was followed from 1984 to 2000.
- Depression was assessed using the HPL depression score at baseline.
- Cox's regression analysis was employed to analyze pension records and depression scores.
Main Results:
- Men with higher depression scores had an increased risk of disability pensions for mental disorders (RR 2.74), chronic somatic diseases (RR 1.68), and cardiovascular diseases (RR 1.61).
- A high depression score also predicted a higher risk of non-illness based pensions (RR 1.86).
- Depressed men retired, on average, 1.5 years younger than those without depression (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Elevated depression scores are predictive of disability retirement across various causes, particularly mental disorders.
- Depression is linked to earlier retirement, suggesting a significant impact on workforce participation.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms linking mental depression to seeking retirement pensions.
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