An exploratory study of poor adjustment styles among retirees

This paper focuses on the one third of retirees who report difficulty in making the transition from work to retirement. On the basis of Levy's [16] research, it is hypothesized that there are different styles of poor adjustment that have different consequences for the retirees experiencing them. Data from 487 male and female retirees identify four poor adjustment styles--poor health, negativism, change adaptation and retirement reluctance. While the latter two responses to retirement tend to be problems only in the short term, the former two may have far reaching consequences. Health related retirement and negativism about retiring were linked with low activity and involvement, poor physical and mental health, inadequate income and low life satisfaction in the years following retirement.