Productive Activities But Not Paid Work Relate to Well-Being in Older Adults

Productive activity engagement may positively contribute to the subjective well-being (SWB) of older adults during retirement. The current study explored the relationships between paid work and productive activities and SWB in Medicare beneficiary older adults predominantly living in the community. The 2015-2016 data (N = 2,916) from the National Health and Aging Trends Study were used. Multiple linear regressions with complex survey data were performed. Aside from paid work, the productive activities included in the analyses were volunteer work, caregiving role, social participation, online networking, and physical activity. After controlling for health-related, sociodemographic, and baseline SWB variables, three productive activities, but not paid work, were significantly related to SWB. Older adults who were physically active, engaged in volunteer work, and had increased social participation had significantly increased SWB. These findings encourage older adults to remain physically active and engage when possible in productive activities that are more social than economic in nature. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 14(1), 24-32.].