Mental Wellbeing Among Workers Approaching Retirement: a Scoping Review

Abstract

Increasing numbers of older workers have to postpone retirement to be eligible for pension income. Therefore, knowledge of how to ensure their mental wellbeing is becoming increasingly salient, especially in Nordic countries, where mental health problems are the most important reason for workers leaving the labor market prematurely. Yet, no systematic overview of what influences older workers’ mental wellbeing currently exists. This scoping review aims to build such knowledge and identify gaps in the literature. Employing a multi-faceted search strategy, we identified and reviewed 23 articles. The mental wellbeing of older workers is influenced by (a) working onditions, (b) workers’ socio-economic and psychological resources, and (c) uncertainties in the statutory framework. Research gaps include a lack of knowledge on (i) how the interaction between factors at the individual, workplace, and welfare state levels impacts older workers’ mental wellbeing, and (ii) the determinants of older workers’ mental wellbeing in Nordic countries.