Retirement, reemployment, and bio-psycho-social health among older adults in Taiwan

Wei-Hsuan Yen; Wan-Ju Cheng; Shu-Chun Chuang; I-Chien Wu; Hsing-Yi Chang; Chiu-Wen Cheng; Wei-Ting Tseng; Chih-Cheng Hsu; Chao Agnes Hsiung; Chi-Shin Wu

doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108649

Retirement, reemployment, and bio-psycho-social health among older adults in Taiwan

Maturitas. 2025 Jun 26:199:108649. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108649. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
² National Center for Geriatrics and Welfare Research, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
³ Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan.
⁴ National Center for Geriatrics and Welfare Research, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan.
⁵ National Center for Geriatrics and Welfare Research, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan. Electronic address: chishinwu@nhri.edu.tw.

PMID: 40578274
DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108649

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the associations between retirement, reemployment, and health outcomes-covering physical, mental, and social domains-among middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan.

Study design: Data were drawn from the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan (HALST), with 4015 participants (mean age 68.2 ± 7.7) and two waves of follow-up. We applied difference-in-differences analyses to evaluate the effects of retirement and reemployment on health outcomes.

Main outcome measures: Quality of life was assessed using the 12-item Short Form (SF-12) survey. Physical health was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Fried's frailty criteria. Mental health was measured via the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), CES-D scale, and self-reported insomnia. Social networks were also evaluated.

Results: Newly retired individuals, especially men and those under 65, experienced declines in physical health, including lower SF-12 physical scores (-1.62), poorer SPPB performance (-0.52), and greater risk of frailty (1.66). In contrast, reemployment, particularly full-time, was linked to better physical health (SF-12 1.78; SPPB 0.39), with stronger effects among women and older adults. Part-time reemployment was associated with enhanced social networks, though physical gains were limited. No consistent mental health effects were observed, except for higher depressive symptoms in those retiring for non-voluntary reasons.

Conclusions: Retirement was linked to physical health decline, while reemployment, especially full-time, offered protective effects. Policies should be tailored to the diverse needs of retirees, accounting for age, gender, and reasons for retirement, to support healthier aging across populations.

Keywords: Mental health; Physical health; Reemployment; Retirement; Social networks.