Abstract
The ageing of the population in Croatia and an increase in the number of elderly persons who retain their retirement status for a longer period call for more research on retirement adaptation. This study was focussed on providing a clearer insight into the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and retirement adjustment, as well as the identification of factors that could increase a low level of retirement adjustment in older people. The research was conducted as a survey in spring 2018 in retirement homes in the Croatian town of Bjelovar and the city of Zagreb. It included 211 older people of both genders aged 65 and above. Retirement Adjustment Factor Questionnaire was used to assess Atchley’s Model of Retirement Adjustment. The results confirmed the conceptual hypotheses from earlier studies. The socioeconomic characteristics of the participants such as level of education, type of retirement, monthly income level, and type of occupation were associated with the success of retirement adjustment in the Pre-Retirement, Honeymoon, Routine, and Termination phases from Atchley’s Model of Retirement Adjustment, while the Honeymoon Phase was related only to retirement length. Aside from promoting academic and public discussions on the topic, the study findings have potential implications for creating social programmes to improve the quality of life of the elderly and provide a better understanding of how the older population living in retirement homes experience retirement.
Highlights
The population aged 60 and over makes up about 20% of the population in Europe and Croatia, recording a raping growth (Croatian Bureau of Statistics, 2013: 17; Eurostat, 2016)
The objective of this study is to identify differences in retirement adjustment with regards to certain socioeconomic characteristics in the elderly living in retirement homes
It is important to note that retirement is a long-lasting period in life which must not be ignored as it is of the utmost importance not just for the elderly, and for their families and society as a whole
Summary
The population aged 60 and over makes up about 20% of the population in Europe and Croatia, recording a raping growth (Croatian Bureau of Statistics, 2013: 17; Eurostat, 2016). The populations of the European Union Member States have entered the phase of age demographics in which the number of the elderly population is continuously increasing. In order to gain a better insight into the extent and characteristics of numerous social issues caused by population ageing, a number of theoretical, developmental and applied scientific studies have been conducted since the 1960s. These efforts have resulted in many global programmes aimed at improving the quality of life and health of the elderly, as well as better family support and social inclusion
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