Bivariate Latent Change Score Research Articles

Exploring dynamic relationships between employees’ personalities and psychosocial work factors

ABSTRACT The current study addresses the potentially dynamic relationship between employees’ personality and their working conditions. A six-year full-panel longitudinal study of employed individuals was used to test whether (I) task-related, (II) social and (III) organizational work factors contribute to change Big-Five personality traits over time and whether personalities change working conditions. Bivariate latent change score analyses were conducted on repeated-measures data (four waves) from 2356 Norwegian employees. The results showed that specific work factors pertaining to task-related and social characteristics (i.e. leadership) were associated with personality trait changes. Contrary to our expectations, none of the work factors predicted change in neuroticism and extraversion, and we offer several possible explanations for these findings. The results also showed that all personality traits may play an active role in shaping specific attributes of the work environment over time and thereby shed light on how employees’ working conditions emerge.

How perceptions of others’ work and impression management motives affect leader–member exchange development: A six‐wave latent change score model

Grounded on attribution theory, we propose a dynamic development model to examine the influence of subordinates’ and leaders’ perceptions of one another’s work and impression management (IM) motives on leader–member exchange (LMX) over time in newly formed teams. We test our hypotheses using a two‐level bivariate latent change score model to investigate how changes in the quality of LMX from t − 1 to t relate to perceptions of the subordinate’s work motives at t − 1 while controlling for unobserved individual differences. The implications of our findings for research, method, and practice are discussed.Practitioner points For individual subordinates, strong perceptions of work motives help to build good leader–follower relationships, which in turn should enhance such motives. ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’; employees and managers at all organizational levels should recognize the importance of how their behaviour is perceived at the beginning of their interaction. However, if subordinates are continuously perceived as having high IM motives, this may negatively influence LMX.

Processes of change in trauma-focused CBT

Background: Numerous studies have shown that trauma-focused psychological treatments for PTSD are effective (Lewis, Roberts, Andrew, Starling, & Bisson, 2020). Few studies to date have investigated the processes of change during treatment. There is initial evidence that these treatments change problematic beliefs about the trauma and its consequences, and that belief change drives symptom change (Brown, Belli, Asnaani, & Foa, 2018). Further studies of other candidate processes are needed. Objective: To investigate the temporal relationships between changes in theory-derived (Ehlers & Clark, 2000) treatment specific processes (appraisals, trauma memory characteristics, and unhelpful cognitive and behavioural responses) and non-specific processes (working alliance) and symptom change during a course of cognitive therapy for PTSD (e.g. Wild et al., 2020). Study 1 Methods: Session by session changes in self-reports of cognitive factors and PTSD symptoms obtained from patients treated in routine clinical care were analysed with bivariate latent change score models (LCSM). Results: Were preceded by changes in for most measures, changes in cognitive factors preceded changes in PTSD symptoms, but not vice versa. Study 2 Methods: Patient and therapist ratings of working alliance were taken repeatedly. Autoregressive, cross-lagged models were used to examine whether working alliance predicted PTSD symptom severity at the next assessment point and vice versa. Results: Higher patient and therapist working alliance was associated with lower PTSD symptoms. Crossed-lagged associations were found for therapist-rated alliance, but not for patient-rated alliance. A better working alliance at the start of treatment predicted treatment outcome. For most measures, changes in cognitive factors preceded changes in PTSD symptoms, but not vice versa. Conclusions: Study 1 extended previous findings that that cognitive and behavioural processes suggested by theoretical models of PTSD play a key role in driving symptom improvement during trauma-focused CBT. Changes in cognitive factors preceded symptom change. This result suggests that monitoring these processes during therapy may help therapist in maximising treatment outcomes in individual patients, and may also point to further ways of optimising treatments in general. Study 2 suggested that working alliance may be an important factor in setting the necessary conditions for effective treatment, but did not find evidence of a temporal precedence of changes in working alliance driving symptom change.

Depression and executive functioning bidirectionally impair one another across 9years: Evidence from within-person latent change and cross-lagged models.

Scar and vulnerability models assert that increased psychopathology may predict subsequent executive functioning (EF) deficits (and vice versa) over protracted timescales, yet most prior work on this topic has been cross-sectional. Thus, we tested the within- and between-person relations between EF, depression, and anxiety. Older adult participants (n=856) were assessed across four waves, approximately 2years apart. Performance-based EF and caregiver-rated symptom measures were administered. Bivariate latent change score and random-intercept cross-lagged panel models were conducted. Within persons, random-intercept cross-lagged panel models revealed that prior greater depression forecasted lower subsequent EF, and vice versa (d=-0.292 vs. -0.292). Bivariate dual latent change score models showed that within-person rise in depression predicted EF decreases, and vice versa (d=-0.245 vs. -0.245). No within-person, cross-lagged, EF-anxiety relations emerged. Further, significant negative between-person EF-symptom relations were observed (d=-0.264 to -0.395). Prospective, within-person findings offer some evidence for developmental scar and vulnerability models.

Eating-disorder psychopathology and driven exercise change models: A latent change score analysis.

Approximately 50% of people with eating disorders (EDs) engage in driven exercise to influence their weight or shape and/or to compensate for loss-of-control eating. When present, driven exercise is associated with a lower quality-of-life, longer hospital stays, and faster rates-of-relapse. Despite the seriousness of driven exercise, most treatments for EDs do not target maladaptive exercise behaviors directly. Given the large proportion of patients with an ED who engage in driven exercise and its effect on treatment outcomes, it is critical to understand what predicts change in driven exercise. The purpose of this study was to test whether ED symptoms prospectively predicted change in driven exercise and vice versa. Participants were Recovery Record (RR) users (N = 4,568; 86.8% female) seeking treatment for an ED. Participants completed the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) monthly for 3 months. In the full sample, dynamic bivariate latent change score analyses indicated that high levels of dietary restraint and restricting prospectively predicted reductions in driven exercise. Among persons with anorexia nervosa (AN), high levels of binge eating predicted increased driven exercise. Among persons with bulimia nervosa (BN), high levels of body dissatisfaction predicted increased driven exercise. Among persons with binge-eating disorder (BED), high levels of binge eating, purging, and restricting predicted reductions in driven exercise. Results highlight changes that may predict increased or decreased driven exercise relative to other ED symptoms for AN, BN, and BED groups. These preliminary findings could inform future research on ED treatment efforts to manage driven exercise.

Personality change during substance use disorder treatment is associated with improvements in abstinence self-efficacy post-treatment among U.S. military veterans

Prior research suggests that personality traits change during substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. However, the extent to which changes in traits during SUD treatment are associated with subsequent improvements in treatment outcomes remains untested. Among U.S. military veterans (n = 200) enrolled in SUD residential treatment, we examined whether changes in the personality factors of positive emotionality (PEM), negative emotionality (NEM), and constraint (CON) during treatment were associated with subsequent changes in abstinence self-efficacy and SUD symptoms. We analyzed data at treatment entry, discharge, and 12-months post-discharge via univariate and bivariate latent change score models. During treatment, PEM, CON, and abstinence self-efficacy increased, while NEM decreased, on average. Changes in NEM and CON were largely sustained, whereas PEM and abstinence self-efficacy significantly decreased post-treatment. SUD symptoms decreased from pre- to post-treatment. In bivariate models, higher levels of NEM at baseline were associated with less improvement in both abstinence self-efficacy during treatment and SUD symptoms pre- to post-treatment. Higher levels of CON at baseline were associated with greater improvement in SUD symptoms pre- to post-treatment, and increases in CON during treatment were associated with greater retention of treatment gains in abstinence self-efficacy post-treatment. Greater improvements in CON during treatment were also associated with greater improvements in SUD symptoms pre- to post-treatment in unadjusted (p = 0.041) but not adjusted models (p = 0.089). Our findings suggest that personality changes marked by improvements in impulse control over the course of SUD treatment may be linked to subsequent improvements in treatment outcomes and may have value as a proximal treatment target among SUD patients during residential care.

Compulsivity is linked to reduced adolescent development of goal-directed control and frontostriatal functional connectivity

A characteristic of adaptive behavior is its goal-directed nature. An ability to act in a goal-directed manner is progressively refined during development, but this refinement can be impacted by the emergence of psychiatric disorders. Disorders of compulsivity have been framed computationally as a deficit in model-based control, and have been linked also to abnormal frontostriatal connectivity. However, the developmental trajectory of model-based control, including an interplay between its maturation and an emergence of compulsivity, has not been characterized. Availing of a large sample of healthy adolescents (n = 569) aged 14 to 24 y, we show behaviorally that over the course of adolescence there is a within-person increase in model-based control, and this is more pronounced in younger participants. Using a bivariate latent change score model, we provide evidence that the presence of higher compulsivity traits is associated with an atypical profile of this developmental maturation in model-based control. Resting-state fMRI data from a subset of the behaviorally assessed subjects (n = 230) revealed that compulsivity is associated with a less pronounced change of within-subject developmental remodeling of functional connectivity, specifically between the striatum and a frontoparietal network. Thus, in an otherwise clinically healthy population sample, in early development, individual differences in compulsivity are linked to the developmental trajectory of model-based control and a remodeling of frontostriatal connectivity.

Reciprocal influence between posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth approximately one year after Hurricane Harvey: A bivariate latent change score modeling approach.

Reciprocal influence between posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth approximately one year after Hurricane Harvey: A bivariate latent change score modeling approach.

Modelling change in neurocognition, symptoms and functioning in young people with emerging mental disorders

Mental disorders and their functional impacts evolve dynamically over time. Neurocognition and clinical symptoms are commonly modelled as predictors of functioning, however, studies tend to rely on static variables and adult samples with chronic disorders, with limited research investigating change in these variables in young people with emerging mental disorders. These relationships were explored in a longitudinal clinical cohort of young people accessing early intervention mental health services in Australia, around three-quarters of whom presented with a mood disorder (N = 176, aged 12–30 at baseline). Bivariate latent change score models quantified associations between neurocognition (a latent variable of working memory, verbal memory, visuospatial memory, and cognitive flexibility), global clinical symptoms, and functioning (self- and clinician-rated) and their relative change over follow-up (median = 20 months). We found that longitudinal changes in functioning were coupled with changes in global clinical symptoms (β = −0.43, P < 0.001), such that improvement in functioning was related to improvement in clinical symptoms. Changes in neurocognition were not significantly associated with changes in functioning or clinical symptoms. Main findings were upheld in three sensitivity analyses restricting the sample to: (a) adults aged 18–30; (b) participants with 12–24 months of follow-up; and (c) participants without a psychotic disorder. Our findings show that global symptom reduction and functional improvement are related in young people with emerging mental disorders. More work is needed to determine the temporal precedence of change in these variables. Future studies should apply this methodology to intervention studies to untangle the causal dynamics between neurocognition, symptoms, and functioning.

Impact of COVID-19 on Public Mental Health and the Buffering Effect of a Sense of Coherence

Introduction: It is claimed that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health. However, to date, prospective studies are lacking. Moreover, it is important to identify which factors modulate the stress response to the pandemic. Previously, sense of coherence (SOC) has emerged as a particularly important resistance factor. Objective: This prospective study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health and to investigate the ability of pre-outbreak SOC levels to predict changes in psychopathological symptoms. Methods: This study assessed psychopathological symptoms and SOC before and after the COVID-19 outbreak as well as post-outbreak COVID-19-related traumatic distress in a German-speaking sample (n =1,591). Bivariate latent change score (BLCS) modeling was used to analyze pre- to post-outbreak changes in psychopathological symptoms and the ability of SOC to predict symptom changes. Results: Overall, there was no change in psychopathological symptoms. However, on an individual-respondent level, 10% experienced a clinically significant increase in psychopathological symptoms and 15% met cut-off criteria for COVID-19-related traumatic distress. Using BLCS modeling, we identified a high-stress group experiencing an increase in psychopathological symptoms and a decrease in SOC and a low-stress group showing the reversed pattern. Changes in SOC and psychopathological symptoms were predicted by pre-outbreak SOC and psychopathological symptom levels. Conclusions: Although mental health was stable in most respondents, a small group of respondents characterized by low levels of SOC experienced increased psychopathological symptoms from pre- to post-outbreak. Thus, SOC training might be a promising approach to enhance the resistance to stressors.

The Reciprocal Relationship between Instrumental Support from Children and Self-Rated Health among Older Adults over Time in Rural China

Objective: To investigate the dynamic interplay between instrumental support from children and self-rated health (SRH) among older adults over time in rural China. Methods: Data came from a regional representative, longitudinal study The Well-Being of Older People in Anhui Province collected in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2012. At baseline, 1636 respondents reported having at least one child. Bivariate latent change score modeling was conducted, and sequential model comparison was used to assess the directionality of the reciprocal association. Results: Older adults who received higher levels of help with household chores from children tended to experience improvement in subsequent SRH, irrespective of gender. There is no evidence to support the influence of SRH on subsequent changes in instrumental support. Discussion: This study sheds light on the sequence of changes between support and health processes using population-based data within a specific sociocultural context.

A latent change score approach to understanding dynamic autonomic coordination.

Children's self-regulation is a core adaptive system in child development. Physiological indices of regulation, particularly the autonomic nervous system (ANS), have garnered increased attention as an informative level of analysis in regulation research. Cardiography supports the simultaneous examination of both ANS branches via measures of pre-ejection period (PEP) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as indicators of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, respectively. However, despite their heavily intertwined functions, research examining autonomic coordination across sympathetic and parasympathetic systems is scarce. Moreover, extant efforts have favored static, mean level reactivity analyses, despite the dynamic nature of ANS regulation and the availability of analytic tools that can model these processes across time. This study drew on a sample of 198 six-year-old children from a diverse community sample (49.5% female, 43.9% Latinx) to examine dynamic autonomic coordination using bivariate latent change score modeling to evaluate bidirectional influences of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity over the course of a challenging puzzle completion task. Results indicated that children evidenced reciprocal sympathetic activation (i.e., PEP attenuation and RSA withdrawal) across the challenge task, and these regulatory responses were characterized by a temporally leading influence of PEP on lagging changes in RSA. The current findings contribute to our understanding of children's autonomic coordination while illustrating a novel analytic technique to advance ongoing efforts to understand the etiology and developmental significance of children's physiological self-regulation.

Developmental dynamics between reading and math in elementary school.

Reading and math attainment develop during elementary grades. Questions remain, though, about the co-developmental nature of the relation between reading and math. This study examined dynamic, longitudinal pathways between reading and math in first through fourth grades. Participants of the study were 554 academically at-risk children (Mage at the first assessment point=6.57years; SD=0.38) from Texas Project Achieve. Children were assessed utilizing the Woodcock-Johnson-III reading and math measures. Results from dynamic bivariate latent change score models indicated unidirectional longitudinal coupling effects from reading to math. Specifically, average and high levels of reading performance were associated with subsequent gains in math growth, in particular for below average performing children in math. In contrast, low levels of reading performance had negligible or no amplifying influences on change in math growth. The nature of the dynamics was replicated even when controlling for nonverbal cognitive abilities. Results demonstrated that good reading skills pave the way for children to develop their math skills. Such findings underscore the importance of considering reading performance in treating math difficulties.

Daily Responsiveness, Expectations, and Self–disclosure: How the Average Levels and Within–person Variability of Three Relationship Components Mediate Personality–Relationship Transactions in Romantic Couples

The associations between couple members’ personality and their relationship satisfaction can be conceptualized as reciprocal transactions. To better understand these transactions, we focused on both partners’ interpersonal vulnerabilities (i.e. neuroticism, low self–esteem, and insecure attachment); daily emotional, cognitive, and behavioural relationship components (i.e. perceived responsiveness, positive expectations, and self–disclosure); and relationship satisfaction. Specifically, we examined whether the average levels and within–person variability of the relationship components mediated the transactions between interpersonal vulnerabilities and relationship satisfaction. Data came from 689 female–male couples aged 18 to 81 years who participated in three measurement occasions across 12 months, including a 14–day diary phase. We used mediated dyadic bivariate latent change score models to test the level–change and change–change transactions and mediations. The findings partly supported our hypotheses: Couple members with interpersonal vulnerabilities had lower average levels (but not higher within–person variability) of the relationship components, and less satisfied couple members had lower average levels and higher within–person variability of these components. The lower average levels but not the variability mediated between a lower level of relationship satisfaction and an increase in avoidant attachment. No other mediations were observed. We discuss the importance of studying daily relationship components for better understanding reciprocal transactions in couples. © 2020 European Association of Personality Psychology

Disentangling the Mechanisms of Retirement Adjustment: Determinants and Consequences of Subjective Well-Being

AbstractRetirement from work is a major life event requiring adaptation to new life circumstances. The resource-based dynamic model of retirement adjustment suggests that well-being will change due to changes in individual resources. In the present study, we test this hypothesis by investigating longitudinal and bidirectional associations between life satisfaction and perceived resources (i.e., self-esteem, autonomy, social support, self-rated physical health, self-rated cognitive ability, and financial satisfaction) over a 4-year period in the transition from work to retirement. Our sample included annual assessment data from 497 older adults (aged 60–66) in the population-based HEalth, Ageing, and Retirement Transitions in Sweden (HEARTS) study. Results from bivariate latent change score models showed weak but consistent associations between changes in perceived resources and changes in life satisfaction over the retirement transition. Analyses of cross-lagged effects also revealed bidirectional associations. Self-esteem, self-rated physical health, and total resource capability were positively related to changes in life satisfaction, and life satisfaction was positively related to changes in self-esteem, autonomy, self-rated physical health, and self-rated cognitive ability. The total resource capability accounted for 12% of the changes in life satisfaction in the first years following retirement. Life satisfaction accounted for 16% of the changes in autonomy in the transition from work to retirement. Our findings demonstrate that perceived resources are important for life satisfaction in the retirement transition, at the same time as overall life satisfaction accounts for how we perceive and evaluate our own resources during this process.

Lagged Coupled Changes Between White Matter Microstructure and Processing Speed in Healthy Aging: A Longitudinal Investigation

Age-related differences in white matter (WM) microstructure have been linked to lower performance in tasks of processing speed in healthy older individuals. However, only few studies have examined this link in a longitudinal setting. These investigations have been limited to the correlation of simultaneous changes in WM microstructure and processing speed. Still little is known about the nature of age-related changes in WM microstructure, i.e., regionally distinct vs. global changes. In the present study, we addressed these open questions by exploring whether previous changes in WM microstructure were related to subsequent changes in processing speed: (a) 1 year later; or (b) 2 years later. Furthermore, we investigated whether age-related changes in WM microstructure were regionally specific or global. We used data from four occasions (covering 4 years) of the Longitudinal Healthy Aging Brain (LHAB) database project (N = 232; age range at baseline = 64–86). As a measure of WM microstructure, we used mean fractional anisotropy (FA) in 10 major WM tracts averaged across hemispheres. Processing speed was measured with four cognitive tasks. Statistical analyses were conducted with bivariate latent change score (LCS) models. We found, for the first time, evidence for lagged couplings between preceding changes in FA and subsequent changes in processing speed 2 years, but not 1 year later in some of the WM tracts (anterior thalamic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus). Our results supported the notion that FA changes were different between regional WM tracts rather than globally shared, with some tracts showing mean declines in FA, and others remaining relatively stable across 4 years.

Exposure to fine particulate matter and the temporal dynamics of episodic memory and depressive symptoms in older women

TPS 732: Neurological effects in adults, Exhibition Hall, Ground floor, August 27, 2019, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Background/Aim: Older adults with higher PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) exposures have earlier declines in episodic memory (EM), occurring in the preclinical stage of dementias. Emerging data also suggest PM2.5 exposure may increase depressive symptoms. Although late-life depressive symptoms are associated with EM, the inter-relationship between PM2.5, depressive symptoms, and EM is unexamined. Methods: Older women (n = 2,202; aged 67-83 in 1999) enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging completed up to eight annual assessments of depressive symptoms (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale) and EM (California Verbal Learning Test; scaled on T-score metric). A nationwide spatiotemporal model (1999-2010) estimated 3-year average ambient PM2.5 exposure at residential locations preceding each assessment. Univariate and bivariate latent-change score structural equation models (SEM) examined how exposures affect the temporal dynamics and bidirectional relation of annual changes in depressive symptoms and EM. Results: In univariate SEMs, one inter-quartile (4.04 μg/m3) greater PM2.5 exposure was associated with accelerated declines (p<.05) in verbal learning (List A trials 1-3: β=-1.477) and free-recall memory (short-delay: β=-1.426; long-delay: β=-1.106), but not with change in depressive symptoms (β=.119; p=.709). In bivariate SEM, elevated PM2.5 exposures also accelerated the declines in EM measures (β=-1.443 to -.985; p<.05), which subsequently increased depressive symptoms (β=-.078 to -.053; p<.05), resulting in significant indirect PM2.5 effects on changes in depressive symptoms (β=.077 to .095; p<.05). In contrast, there was no appreciable association between PM2.5 and change in depressive symptoms and no association between depressive symptoms with subsequent EM decline. Findings remained after adjusting for multiple demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors. Conclusions: Findings suggest that PM2.5 neurotoxicity may damage brain areas implicated in EM, followed by manifestation of depressive symptoms. Our data did not support depressive symptoms as the neuropsychological mediator of accelerated brain aging associated with PM2.5 exposure.

The Longitudinal Associations between Physical Health and Mental Health among Older Adults

Objectives This study examines the lead-lag relationship between physical and mental health among older adults. Method Data are collected from 16,417 older adults aged 50 years and older participating in the biannual Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Participants were assessed on up to 11 measurement points over a 21-year period from 1994 to 2014. Physical health was measured as a composite of chronic diseases, functional limitations, and difficulties in basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Mental health was measured with the modified CES-D. Bivariate latent change score models (BLCSM) were estimated. Results Both physical and mental health declined in the observed years, with slower declining rates over time. A reciprocal relationship emerged, with the prior level of physical health acting as the leading indicator of subsequent change in mental health, and the prior mental health state acting as the leading indicator of subsequent changes in physical health. Additionally, the influence of physical health on mental health changes was larger than the corresponding effect of mental health on subsequent physical health. Conclusion This study demonstrates the reciprocal relationship between physical and mental health in later adulthood and highlights the need to pay attention to the mental health of older people with physical health problems.

Examining reciprocal influence between posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms among natural disaster survivors

BackgroundThe current study examined reciprocal effects of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) among individuals affected by Hurricane Ike, which made landfall on September 13, 2008 MethodsParticipants were 658 survivors, who participated in the Galveston Bay Recovery Study (GBRS; National Center for Disaster Mental Health Research, Galea, and Norris, 2016). Assessment was conducted at 3, 6, and 15 months after the disaster. Bivariate latent change score modeling was conducted to examine the nature of the time-sequential associations between symptoms of PTSD and MDD ResultsResults revealed a unidirectional coupling effect from depression to change in PTSD, but unidirectional coupling effect from PTSD to change in depression was not supported. LimitationsOnly linear relations of within-individual change and time-sequential associations between PTSD and depression were examined, and therefore, it precludes potential nonlinear relations between these constructs. Also, the results of the current study are limited to the studied timespan (i.e., 3 to 15 months). Lastly, other factors that could be confounding the change in PTSD symptoms were not examined, leaving a possibility of other constructs that may influence the change in future PTSD symptoms ConclusionsThe current study suggests that disaster survivors with higher symptoms of depression may be at higher risk of experiencing increased PTSD symptoms even after one year, raising an importance of tailoring a treatment to alleviate depressive symptoms and to mitigate the risk of future symptoms of PTSD

DISENTANGLING THE MECHANISMS OF RETIREMENT ADJUSTMENT: DETERMINANTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING

Retirement from work is a major life event requiring adaptation to new life circumstances. The resource-based dynamic model of retirement adjustment suggests that well-being will change due to changes in individual resources. In the present study, we test this hypothesis by investigating longitudinal and bidirectional associations between life satisfaction and perceived resources (i.e., self-esteem, autonomy, social support, self-rated physical health, self-rated cognitive ability, and financial satisfaction) over a 4-year period in the transition from work to retirement. Our sample included annual assessment data from 497 older adults (aged 60–66) in the population-based HEalth, Ageing, and Retirement Transitions in Sweden (HEARTS) study. Results from bivariate latent change score models showed weak but consistent associations between changes in perceived resources and changes in life satisfaction over the retirement transition. Analyses of cross-lagged effects also revealed bidirectional associations. Self-esteem, self-rated physical health, and total resource capability were positively related to changes in life satisfaction, and life satisfaction was positively related to changes in self-esteem, autonomy, self-rated physical health, and self-rated cognitive ability. The total resource capability accounted for 12% of the changes in life satisfaction in the first years following retirement. Life satisfaction accounted for 16% of the changes in autonomy in the transition from work to retirement. Our findings demonstrate that perceived resources are important for life satisfaction in the retirement transition, at the same time as overall life satisfaction accounts for how we perceive and evaluate our own resources during this process.