Participation in socially-productive activities, reciprocity and wellbeing in later life

Baseline results in England

Bibliographic Data

ID11202308
AuthorsAnne Mcmunn (0000-0003-3237-9345, University College London, corresponding author), James Nazroo (0000-0001-6744-2207, University of Manchester), Morten Wahrendorf (0000-0002-4191-1420, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf), Elizabeth Breeze (0000-0001-6198-8321, University College London), Paola Zaninotto (0000-0003-3036-0499, University College London)
Year2009
Volume29
Issue5
Pages765-782
Publication date2009-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x08008350
OpenAlexW2145741082
LanguageEN
Citations received59
References cited51

This paper examines whether participation in social activities is associated with higher levels of wellbeing among post-retirement age people in England, and, if so, whether these relationships are explained by the reciprocal nature of these activities. Cross-sectional analysis of relationships between social activities (including paid work, caring and volunteering) and wellbeing (quality of life, life satisfaction and depression) was conducted among participants of one wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) who were of state pension age or older. Participants in paid or voluntary work generally had more favourable wellbeing than those who did not participate in these activities. Caring was not associated with wellbeing, although female carers were less likely to be depressed than non-carers. Carers, volunteers and those in paid work who felt adequately rewarded for their activities had better wellbeing than those who were not participating in those activities, while those who did not feel rewarded did not differ from non-participants. These results point to the need to increase the rewards that older people receive from their productive activities, particularly in relation to caring work

Baseline (sea) · Life satisfaction · Longitudinal study · Paid work · Political science · Quality of life (healthcare) · Reciprocity (cultural anthropology) · Well-being · Work (physics) · Employment and Welfare Studies · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Social Psychology · Gerontology

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