The Role of Meaning in the Retirement Transition: Scoping Review

The retirement transition is a period of major change and instability, which may challenge a person's sense of meaning in life. This scoping review sought to characterize the current research on the role of meaning in the retirement transition.

This scoping review was conducted according to Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and PRISMA reporting guidelines. Database searches of Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, Social Science Database, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global yielded 738 records (after duplicates removed). Accessory searches yielded an additional 286 records. Eligible articles included peer-reviewed literature and theses (qualitative and quantitative) that explored an aspect of meaning in the context of the retirement transition.

A total of 30 studies (21 qualitative and 9 quantitative) were included. These studies examined a broad range of research questions on different aspects of meaning-meaning in life, meaning-making, meaningful engagement, and meaning of retirement. Most were single, stand-alone studies (not part of a broader research program) that included only a single time point. Only 6 studies were longitudinal.

This review revealed a heterogeneous set of studies and identified gaps in reporting of important participant characteristics, lack of conceptual clarity in defining meaning, and few longitudinal studies. There is a need for more theoretically driven, programs of research that include longitudinal designs, ideally using mixed-methods approaches, to build a richer understanding of the role of meaning during this major life transition.