Inadequate retirement planning has negative consequences for individuals and society. Interventio... more Inadequate retirement planning has negative consequences for individuals and society. Interventions to improve more informed planning often focus primarily on financial aspects, with the timing of workplace exit and health considerations ignored leaving retirees at risk of poor adjustment. A six-stage intervention was developed consisting of three online modules (career, health, and finance) combined with individual consultations that aimed to assist older workers (N = 829, Mage = 57.09, female = 68%) to make more considered decisions about retirement. A randomized control study using four groups (modules only, modules-plus-consultations [holistic], finance only, and a control) was employed. Holistic group participants completed three online modules, completed a general health check, and spoke to a career consultant, as well as a financial consultant. Compared with the control group, mixed-effects …
Inadequate retirement planning has negative consequences for individuals and society. Interventio... more Inadequate retirement planning has negative consequences for individuals and society. Interventions to improve more informed planning often focus primarily on financial aspects, with the timing of workplace exit and health considerations ignored leaving retirees at risk of poor adjustment. A six-stage intervention was developed consisting of three online modules (career, health, and finance) combined with individual consultations that aimed to assist older workers (N = 829, Mage = 57.09, female = 68%) to make more considered decisions about retirement. A randomized control study using four groups (modules only, modules-plus-consultations [holistic], finance only, and a control) was employed. Holistic group participants completed three online modules, completed a general health check, and spoke to a career consultant, as well as a financial consultant. Compared with the control group, mixed-effects …
Dear Editor Due to the risk to older adults and the implementation of measures to suppress the vi... more Dear Editor Due to the risk to older adults and the implementation of measures to suppress the virus, there is a critical need for research to identify and mitigate psychosocial impacts on older Australians of the COVID-19 pandemic. People with longterm conditions, those from low socio-economic and minority backgrounds, Indigenous communities and residents of aged care facilities are particularly impacted. Some of these impacts reflect long-standing, intransigent and somewhat neglected social problems related to ageing. The COVID-19 pandemic has both exacerbated and exposed these problems. Unfortunately, although faced with the pressing need to understand and address these problems, researchers face substantial practical and financial difficulties, in addition to the scientific challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australian journal of career development, Nov 1, 1998
This paper summarises the findings of an earlier study by Bright, Earl and Adams (1997) which loo... more This paper summarises the findings of an earlier study by Bright, Earl and Adams (1997) which looked at the impact of competency statements and intent statements included on resumes. In addition we present further analysis of the original data not previously reported which provides valuable insights into the screening processes employed by human resources managers and recruitment consultants in shortlisting graduate resumes.
Progressive aging of the Baby Boomer generation, early workplace withdrawals and international tr... more Progressive aging of the Baby Boomer generation, early workplace withdrawals and international trends towards longevity place increasing pressure on governments to provide economic solutions. One possibility involves promoting financial self-sufficiency and shifting responsibility from governments back to individuals. This involves, in part, promoting the abolishment of mandatory retirement ages and devising strategies to keep people at work for longer. At an individual level choosing how and when to transition can deliver psychological benefits while continuing to work provides opportunities to remain socially and intellectually connected. There are also obvious economic benefits for disadvantaged groups such as women, immigrants and less qualified workers who may be ill equipped to retire comfortably. When combined these sufficiently motivate the pursuit of solutions that overcome constraints and encourage later life employment. There are, however, two sets of competing demands, namely balancing the desire and economic demand to work longer within current contemporary workplace designs and the cognitive, physical and psychological capacities of workers to fulfill these demands indefinitely. The study of the psychological mechanisms that underlie economic behavior may increase our understanding of how bridge employment opportunities, flexible work schedules, training to move to new careers, and starting new business and franchisees might result in higher proportions of older workers remaining in the labor market. Such an approach is expected to lead to a better understanding of employer attitudes and responses to older workers with innovative workplace and human factors that encourage more years of labor force participation
We investigate the relationships between financial literacy, financial judgment, and cognitive ab... more We investigate the relationships between financial literacy, financial judgment, and cognitive ability at older ages. We find people who actively manage their own retirement savings portfolios display greater levels of financial literacy and judgment than those who do not. We identify the different cognitive processes underlying financial judgment and decision-making tasks versus those underlying learned concepts such as basic financial literacy. Although these decline at different rates the latter may potentially compensate for, and mask declines, in the former. We find an overall low propensity to seek financial advice which has no significant relationship with cognitive functioning. Our findings underscore the importance of monitoring cognitive ability in older ages.
Retirement planning is a widely promoted activity to enhance wellbeing for aging populations. How... more Retirement planning is a widely promoted activity to enhance wellbeing for aging populations. However, there is limited follow-up data to understand the antecedents of multi-dimensional retirement planning activities, the resources such activities produce or the explanatory mechanisms. This research draws on recent theorizing, which suggests that retirement planning may play a mediating role in explaining how pre-retirement antecedents are transformed into retirement resources. Antecedents, planning and retirement resources were examined using 3 waves of follow-up data collected in 2006, 2008, and 2014. Four hundred thirty-five people originally employed in 2008 and retired by 2014 participated in the study. Health, income, and a positive retirement attitude (T1) were the strongest predictors of retirement planning (T2), but job satisfaction and occupation also played smaller predictive roles. Financial planning (T2) predicted health, psychosocial, and financial resources in retirem...
Many medical practitioners in Australia work beyond the traditional retirement age. Transitioning... more Many medical practitioners in Australia work beyond the traditional retirement age. Transitioning to retirement is important, however, because the likelihood of poorer clinical outcomes increases with practitioner age. The objective of the present study was to develop and trial an online educational intervention to promote planning for a smoother transition to retirement using a non-randomized control group pre- and post-test design. Medical practitioners aged 55 or over (N = 262, Mage = 61.9) and working 30 or more hours per week were recruited to complete four online modules that addressed a range of topics (physical, health, financial, social, cognitive, and emotional well-being) and encouraged planning for retirement resources. Outcome measures included work centrality, mastery, and goal perceptions across the aforementioned resource domains. Eighty-one doctors completed post-training measures; a control group who completed only the measures (n = 23) and a training group (n = 58). Pre-post comparisons showed no significant changes for the control group. However, the training group at Time 2 showed lower work centrality t(57) = 2.12, (p = .036), and changes to social t(57) = 2.35, (p = .022), emotional t(57) = 3.18, (p = .002) and health goal perceptions t(57) = −2.02, (p = .049). Controlling for baseline scores and self-selection bias determinants, Generalized Linear Model (GLM) analyses indicated a training group increase in mastery scores (β = 0.87, p = .045) and decrease in negative perception of the consequence of not meeting emotional goals (β = −0.37, p = .043). Although not significant, GLM results also showed an increase in resources, three of four health goal domains and financial goals, indicating the potential for positive training effects in future applications of the program. The online retirement planning resource showed promise in promoting a sense of mastery and a reassessment of retirement plans, taking into consideration resource accumulation and goal setting across five specific goal domains. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.
Background Medical practitioners experience high levels of mental disorders but may be reluctant ... more Background Medical practitioners experience high levels of mental disorders but may be reluctant to seek care. Aims To determine medical practitioner attitudes towards other doctors with anxiety/depression, barriers to seeking mental healthcare, treatments received for depression and the effects of age. Methods Data from the National Mental Health Survey of Doctors and Medical Students, conducted in Australia, were analysed (N = 10 038 medical practitioners). Attitudes to anxiety/depression were assessed with 12 statements (total stigma score, range 12–60). Barriers to seeking professional help, and coping strategies used, for anxiety/depression were measured. Practitioners with a history of depression were asked what personal supports and treatments were received. Practitioners were compared by age—younger (40 years and younger), middle-aged (41–60) and older (61+). Results Attitudes and help-seeking behaviours varied with age. Older doctors had a more positive outlook and less tot...
The traditional approach to leaving a career in medicine has been informal. The fact that about 1... more The traditional approach to leaving a career in medicine has been informal. The fact that about 10% of medical practitioners in Australia are aged 65 years or over1 — a seemingly natural consequence of increased life expectancy, improved quality of life and fluctuations in financial markets — highlights the need for a more methodical process for leaving medicine. The final transition in a medical career is one that the profession has largely ignored, thereby risking unplanned departures that affect succession planning for practices, continuity of care for patients, and the wellbeing of the practitioner. The eventual introduction of proposed mandatory health checks for practitioners aged 70 years and over in Australia2 may hasten the retirement of some, which only increases the urgency of retirement planning becoming a routine task for all practitioners. The aim of this article is to describe a framework that examines how this transition may be achieved, so that practitioner wellbeing and adjustment to retirement are enhanced. For all the changes in medical culture that must occur — and to which the colleges, employers and other professional organisations must contribute — the individual practitioner ultimately remains responsible for their own welfare across the career cycle. While this article is aimed mainly at clinicians, its principles remain pertinent to other medical practitioners.
The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2020
OBJECTIVE Most of the published data on the psychological health of physicians has focused on the... more OBJECTIVE Most of the published data on the psychological health of physicians has focused on the youngest members of the profession. The aims of this analysis were to determine how psychological morbidity changes across the career cycle. METHODS We report data from the cross-sectional National Mental Health Survey of Doctors and Medical Students, conducted in Australia. Age differences in psychological distress, suicidal ideation, alcohol use, burnout, workplace, and personal stressors were examined for younger (40 years and younger), middle aged (41-60), and older (61+) physicians. RESULTS A total of 10,038 physicians responded. Older physicians reported significantly less psychological distress, burnout and suicidal ideation than younger and middle aged colleagues, findings that were maintained after adjusting for sex and excluding trainees. There were no group differences in overall alcohol use and high risk drinking. On multivariate analysis, the largest contributor to psychological distress in older physicians was a past history of mental disorder. There was a decline across age groups in the endorsement as "very stressful" of work-life conflict and work-anxiety stressors such as fear of making mistakes. Older physicians were least likely to feel very stressed by all workplace stressors. CONCLUSION The better psychological health of older physicians highlights the need to consider physician health according to age and career stage. Apart from the decline in work stressors, in particular work-life conflict, there may be a survivor effect such that physicians who practice into older age have developed greater resilience and professional maturation.
ABSTRACT Background and objectives: This study investigated the efficacy of guided self-reflectio... more ABSTRACT Background and objectives: This study investigated the efficacy of guided self-reflection to strengthen resilience in adults over 50 by exploring the effects of the training on mental health and positive emotional outcomes. Design: A nested clustered-randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the efficacy of the training. Measures occurred at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at four to five months follow-up. Method: Two samples of participants were recruited. First, older employees from a consumer goods company took part in the clustered-randomized controlled trial. Ninety-three employees (mean age = 54.02 years; 36.56% females) were assigned to the intervention (n = 52) or active control (n = 41) group. Second, older adults from the community (n = 51) were recruited (mean age = 58.63 years; 80.40% female) and assigned to the intervention only. Results: Improvements were observed in the community sample, compared to the active control group, across a range of wellbeing outcomes. When training engagement was used as a moderator, positive benefits for the corporate intervention group emerged for highly engaged participants. Mediation analyses indicated that stress-as-enhancing mindset, stressor benefit, and coping self-efficacy acted as possible mechanisms for change in primary outcomes. Conclusions: Findings provide support for the use of guided self-reflection for resilience training with older adults.
Inadequate retirement planning has negative consequences for individuals and society. Interventio... more Inadequate retirement planning has negative consequences for individuals and society. Interventions to improve more informed planning often focus primarily on financial aspects, with the timing of workplace exit and health considerations ignored leaving retirees at risk of poor adjustment. A six-stage intervention was developed consisting of three online modules (career, health, and finance) combined with individual consultations that aimed to assist older workers (N = 829, Mage = 57.09, female = 68%) to make more considered decisions about retirement. A randomized control study using four groups (modules only, modules-plus-consultations [holistic], finance only, and a control) was employed. Holistic group participants completed three online modules, completed a general health check, and spoke to a career consultant, as well as a financial consultant. Compared with the control group, mixed-effects …
Inadequate retirement planning has negative consequences for individuals and society. Interventio... more Inadequate retirement planning has negative consequences for individuals and society. Interventions to improve more informed planning often focus primarily on financial aspects, with the timing of workplace exit and health considerations ignored leaving retirees at risk of poor adjustment. A six-stage intervention was developed consisting of three online modules (career, health, and finance) combined with individual consultations that aimed to assist older workers (N = 829, Mage = 57.09, female = 68%) to make more considered decisions about retirement. A randomized control study using four groups (modules only, modules-plus-consultations [holistic], finance only, and a control) was employed. Holistic group participants completed three online modules, completed a general health check, and spoke to a career consultant, as well as a financial consultant. Compared with the control group, mixed-effects …
Dear Editor Due to the risk to older adults and the implementation of measures to suppress the vi... more Dear Editor Due to the risk to older adults and the implementation of measures to suppress the virus, there is a critical need for research to identify and mitigate psychosocial impacts on older Australians of the COVID-19 pandemic. People with longterm conditions, those from low socio-economic and minority backgrounds, Indigenous communities and residents of aged care facilities are particularly impacted. Some of these impacts reflect long-standing, intransigent and somewhat neglected social problems related to ageing. The COVID-19 pandemic has both exacerbated and exposed these problems. Unfortunately, although faced with the pressing need to understand and address these problems, researchers face substantial practical and financial difficulties, in addition to the scientific challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australian journal of career development, Nov 1, 1998
This paper summarises the findings of an earlier study by Bright, Earl and Adams (1997) which loo... more This paper summarises the findings of an earlier study by Bright, Earl and Adams (1997) which looked at the impact of competency statements and intent statements included on resumes. In addition we present further analysis of the original data not previously reported which provides valuable insights into the screening processes employed by human resources managers and recruitment consultants in shortlisting graduate resumes.
Progressive aging of the Baby Boomer generation, early workplace withdrawals and international tr... more Progressive aging of the Baby Boomer generation, early workplace withdrawals and international trends towards longevity place increasing pressure on governments to provide economic solutions. One possibility involves promoting financial self-sufficiency and shifting responsibility from governments back to individuals. This involves, in part, promoting the abolishment of mandatory retirement ages and devising strategies to keep people at work for longer. At an individual level choosing how and when to transition can deliver psychological benefits while continuing to work provides opportunities to remain socially and intellectually connected. There are also obvious economic benefits for disadvantaged groups such as women, immigrants and less qualified workers who may be ill equipped to retire comfortably. When combined these sufficiently motivate the pursuit of solutions that overcome constraints and encourage later life employment. There are, however, two sets of competing demands, namely balancing the desire and economic demand to work longer within current contemporary workplace designs and the cognitive, physical and psychological capacities of workers to fulfill these demands indefinitely. The study of the psychological mechanisms that underlie economic behavior may increase our understanding of how bridge employment opportunities, flexible work schedules, training to move to new careers, and starting new business and franchisees might result in higher proportions of older workers remaining in the labor market. Such an approach is expected to lead to a better understanding of employer attitudes and responses to older workers with innovative workplace and human factors that encourage more years of labor force participation
We investigate the relationships between financial literacy, financial judgment, and cognitive ab... more We investigate the relationships between financial literacy, financial judgment, and cognitive ability at older ages. We find people who actively manage their own retirement savings portfolios display greater levels of financial literacy and judgment than those who do not. We identify the different cognitive processes underlying financial judgment and decision-making tasks versus those underlying learned concepts such as basic financial literacy. Although these decline at different rates the latter may potentially compensate for, and mask declines, in the former. We find an overall low propensity to seek financial advice which has no significant relationship with cognitive functioning. Our findings underscore the importance of monitoring cognitive ability in older ages.
Retirement planning is a widely promoted activity to enhance wellbeing for aging populations. How... more Retirement planning is a widely promoted activity to enhance wellbeing for aging populations. However, there is limited follow-up data to understand the antecedents of multi-dimensional retirement planning activities, the resources such activities produce or the explanatory mechanisms. This research draws on recent theorizing, which suggests that retirement planning may play a mediating role in explaining how pre-retirement antecedents are transformed into retirement resources. Antecedents, planning and retirement resources were examined using 3 waves of follow-up data collected in 2006, 2008, and 2014. Four hundred thirty-five people originally employed in 2008 and retired by 2014 participated in the study. Health, income, and a positive retirement attitude (T1) were the strongest predictors of retirement planning (T2), but job satisfaction and occupation also played smaller predictive roles. Financial planning (T2) predicted health, psychosocial, and financial resources in retirem...
Many medical practitioners in Australia work beyond the traditional retirement age. Transitioning... more Many medical practitioners in Australia work beyond the traditional retirement age. Transitioning to retirement is important, however, because the likelihood of poorer clinical outcomes increases with practitioner age. The objective of the present study was to develop and trial an online educational intervention to promote planning for a smoother transition to retirement using a non-randomized control group pre- and post-test design. Medical practitioners aged 55 or over (N = 262, Mage = 61.9) and working 30 or more hours per week were recruited to complete four online modules that addressed a range of topics (physical, health, financial, social, cognitive, and emotional well-being) and encouraged planning for retirement resources. Outcome measures included work centrality, mastery, and goal perceptions across the aforementioned resource domains. Eighty-one doctors completed post-training measures; a control group who completed only the measures (n = 23) and a training group (n = 58). Pre-post comparisons showed no significant changes for the control group. However, the training group at Time 2 showed lower work centrality t(57) = 2.12, (p = .036), and changes to social t(57) = 2.35, (p = .022), emotional t(57) = 3.18, (p = .002) and health goal perceptions t(57) = −2.02, (p = .049). Controlling for baseline scores and self-selection bias determinants, Generalized Linear Model (GLM) analyses indicated a training group increase in mastery scores (β = 0.87, p = .045) and decrease in negative perception of the consequence of not meeting emotional goals (β = −0.37, p = .043). Although not significant, GLM results also showed an increase in resources, three of four health goal domains and financial goals, indicating the potential for positive training effects in future applications of the program. The online retirement planning resource showed promise in promoting a sense of mastery and a reassessment of retirement plans, taking into consideration resource accumulation and goal setting across five specific goal domains. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.
Background Medical practitioners experience high levels of mental disorders but may be reluctant ... more Background Medical practitioners experience high levels of mental disorders but may be reluctant to seek care. Aims To determine medical practitioner attitudes towards other doctors with anxiety/depression, barriers to seeking mental healthcare, treatments received for depression and the effects of age. Methods Data from the National Mental Health Survey of Doctors and Medical Students, conducted in Australia, were analysed (N = 10 038 medical practitioners). Attitudes to anxiety/depression were assessed with 12 statements (total stigma score, range 12–60). Barriers to seeking professional help, and coping strategies used, for anxiety/depression were measured. Practitioners with a history of depression were asked what personal supports and treatments were received. Practitioners were compared by age—younger (40 years and younger), middle-aged (41–60) and older (61+). Results Attitudes and help-seeking behaviours varied with age. Older doctors had a more positive outlook and less tot...
The traditional approach to leaving a career in medicine has been informal. The fact that about 1... more The traditional approach to leaving a career in medicine has been informal. The fact that about 10% of medical practitioners in Australia are aged 65 years or over1 — a seemingly natural consequence of increased life expectancy, improved quality of life and fluctuations in financial markets — highlights the need for a more methodical process for leaving medicine. The final transition in a medical career is one that the profession has largely ignored, thereby risking unplanned departures that affect succession planning for practices, continuity of care for patients, and the wellbeing of the practitioner. The eventual introduction of proposed mandatory health checks for practitioners aged 70 years and over in Australia2 may hasten the retirement of some, which only increases the urgency of retirement planning becoming a routine task for all practitioners. The aim of this article is to describe a framework that examines how this transition may be achieved, so that practitioner wellbeing and adjustment to retirement are enhanced. For all the changes in medical culture that must occur — and to which the colleges, employers and other professional organisations must contribute — the individual practitioner ultimately remains responsible for their own welfare across the career cycle. While this article is aimed mainly at clinicians, its principles remain pertinent to other medical practitioners.
The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2020
OBJECTIVE Most of the published data on the psychological health of physicians has focused on the... more OBJECTIVE Most of the published data on the psychological health of physicians has focused on the youngest members of the profession. The aims of this analysis were to determine how psychological morbidity changes across the career cycle. METHODS We report data from the cross-sectional National Mental Health Survey of Doctors and Medical Students, conducted in Australia. Age differences in psychological distress, suicidal ideation, alcohol use, burnout, workplace, and personal stressors were examined for younger (40 years and younger), middle aged (41-60), and older (61+) physicians. RESULTS A total of 10,038 physicians responded. Older physicians reported significantly less psychological distress, burnout and suicidal ideation than younger and middle aged colleagues, findings that were maintained after adjusting for sex and excluding trainees. There were no group differences in overall alcohol use and high risk drinking. On multivariate analysis, the largest contributor to psychological distress in older physicians was a past history of mental disorder. There was a decline across age groups in the endorsement as "very stressful" of work-life conflict and work-anxiety stressors such as fear of making mistakes. Older physicians were least likely to feel very stressed by all workplace stressors. CONCLUSION The better psychological health of older physicians highlights the need to consider physician health according to age and career stage. Apart from the decline in work stressors, in particular work-life conflict, there may be a survivor effect such that physicians who practice into older age have developed greater resilience and professional maturation.
ABSTRACT Background and objectives: This study investigated the efficacy of guided self-reflectio... more ABSTRACT Background and objectives: This study investigated the efficacy of guided self-reflection to strengthen resilience in adults over 50 by exploring the effects of the training on mental health and positive emotional outcomes. Design: A nested clustered-randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the efficacy of the training. Measures occurred at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at four to five months follow-up. Method: Two samples of participants were recruited. First, older employees from a consumer goods company took part in the clustered-randomized controlled trial. Ninety-three employees (mean age = 54.02 years; 36.56% females) were assigned to the intervention (n = 52) or active control (n = 41) group. Second, older adults from the community (n = 51) were recruited (mean age = 58.63 years; 80.40% female) and assigned to the intervention only. Results: Improvements were observed in the community sample, compared to the active control group, across a range of wellbeing outcomes. When training engagement was used as a moderator, positive benefits for the corporate intervention group emerged for highly engaged participants. Mediation analyses indicated that stress-as-enhancing mindset, stressor benefit, and coping self-efficacy acted as possible mechanisms for change in primary outcomes. Conclusions: Findings provide support for the use of guided self-reflection for resilience training with older adults.
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Papers by Joanne K Earl